IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGr  (MT-3) 


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Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIViH 
Coliection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Hiatorical  Microraproductiona  /  Inatltut  Canadian  da  microraproductiona  hiatoriquaa 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniquas  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha 
to  til 


Tha  Institute  has  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibiiographically  unique, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommngte 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  pellicuite 


I     I   Cover  title  missing/ 


D 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I     I   Coloured  maps/ 


Cartas  gdographiquas  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 


I     I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadowa  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrte  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int^rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  aa  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
male,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  M  filmAes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentairas  supplAmentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  4t*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
da  cat  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographiqua,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mAthoda  normale  de  fflmage 
sont  indiqute  ci-dessous. 


I — I  Coloured  pages/ 


13 


Pagea  de  couleur 

Pagea  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagtes 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaurtes  et/ou  pelliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pagea  dAcolorAes,  tachatAes  ou  piqutea 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  dAtachtes 

Showthrough> 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  InAgala  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  matirial  suppMmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponibia 


I — I  Pagea  damaged/ 

r~n  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

["yj  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

[~~|  Pages  detached/ 

r~^  Showthrough/ 

I     I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

|~~|  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


The 
poai 
oft» 
filml 


Orig 
begi 
the  I 
sion 
oth« 
first 
sion 
or  ill 


The 
shal 
TINI 
whi( 

Map 
diffi 
antii 
begl 
righ 
requ 
met 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Let!  pages  totalament  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  una  pelure. 
etc.,  ont  M  filmtos  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibie. 


This  item  Is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  da  reduction  indiquA  ci-deaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


X 


12X 


16X 


aox 


26X 


30X 


a4x 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b««n  raproduead  thanks 
to  tha  ganaroaity  of: 

University  of  Alberta 
Edmonton 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
poaaibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibiiity 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacif ieationa. 


Original  copiaa  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  filmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  andSng  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
•ion,  or  tha  bacic  covar  whan  appropriata.  All 
othar  origins:  copiaa  ara  filmad  bagiisning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illuatratad  impraa- 
sion,  and  anding  on  tha  last  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illuatratad  impraaaion. 


Tha  laat  racordad  frama  on  aach  microficha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  —^(moaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  ▼  (moaning  "END"), 
whiehavar  appliaa. 

IVAapa.  plataa,  charts,  ate,  may  ba  filmad  at 
diffarant  reduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  iarga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  in  one  expoeure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  comer,  left  to 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  frames  aa 
required.  The  following  diegrams  illuatrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grice  k  la 
ginArosit*  da: 

University  of  Alberta 
Edmonton 

Las  images  suivantes  ont  At*  raproduitas  avec  la 
plus  grand  soin.  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettati  de  I'exempleire  film*,  at  an 
conformiti  avec  lea  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmage. 

Lea  axemplairaa  originaux  dont  la  couvart*  re  9n 
papier  eat  ImprimAa  sent  filmis  en  eammen^ant 
par  la  premier  plot  at  an  tarminent  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'impraaaion  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  la  second 
piat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplairas 
origineux  sent  filmis  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premiere  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impreeaion  ou  d'illustration  at  an  tjsrminant  par 
la  darnlAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symbolae  suK^ents  sppsreltra  sur  la 
dernlAre  imege  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
caa:  le  symbols  — »•  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartea,  planches,  tableeux,  etc..  pauvent  Atra 
film**  i  des  taux  da  rMuction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  §tra 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichi.  il  est  film*  *  partir 
de  Tangle  supirieur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite. 
et  de  heut  en  bas.  an  prenent  le  nombre 
d'imegea  nicasseire.  Lea  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  le  mAthode. 


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rCEASUKE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


•T 


r'Ur>P,  JAMES   DE   MILLE, 

■>I!  «(!!•  "  TUK    r»,    1    \V    <•  ,'■   "   nn.    »»')>H  oK  <iRAMi   VKIC.  SCIIOOI.." 

rut;   Jiiti<iA:«i«i."  "tiu.  i^cVKS   un,Ui," 


ILLV^^Hitm  &. 


1.1 


iK      vl  I  _ .  ■  U  li  t. •»" 


M^' 


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TUB 


TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


^' 


BY 


PROF.  JAMES  DE  MILLE, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  B.  O.  \V.  C,"  "  THK   BOYS  OF  GRAND  PRE  SCHOOL," 

••lost  in   TIIK   KOO,"  *»FIRK  in  THK  WOODS,"  '*  AMONG 

THK    BKIOANDS,"    "THK    SEVEN    HILLS," 

"  PICKED  UP  AUUIFT,"  ETC. 


.1 


ILL USTBA TEH, 


BOSTON 
LEE   ^ND   SHEPARD   PUBLISHERS 

10   MILK   STB££X 

1898 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1872, 

By  LEE  AND  SIIEPARD, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congri:ss,  at  Wasbiugton. 


UBRARY  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ALBcRTA 


'A 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

The  Aged  Schooner.  —  Ancient  Mariner.  —  Wasts  of  Wa- 
fert.  —  Perplexity.  —  Solomon  and  Saw-dust  Soup.  — 
Decrepit  Compass.  —  Baffled  Navigator.  —  Despondent 
Boys.  —  Sudden  Squall.  —  Sails  come  to  Orief.  —  Cap- 
tain Corbet  to  the  Rescue.  —  No  Use  !  Too  far  gone  !  — 
Antelope  at  the  Mercy  of  Winds  and  Waves. 

II. 


11 


A  strange  and  startling  Sight.  —  A  Mast  in  Mid-ocean.  — 
Land.  —  Land  of  Terror.  —  Panic.  —  Worst  Place  in  all 
the  World.  —  Tom  drives  away  the  Panic.  —  Drifting. 

—  Anchor  dropped.  —  Dawn  of  Day.  —  Low  Land  on 
the  Horizon.  —  Preparing  to  go  ashore.  —  Confidences 

of  the  unfortunate  Solomon.    .*....      28 

III. 

Landing.  —  Friendly  Reception,  and  bounteous  Repast.  — 
Sable  Island.  —  Strange  Soil —  Sandy  Ridge.  —  Lake. 

—  Long  Walk.  —  Wonderful  Sight.  —  Ancient  Ship.  — 
Governor's  Story.  —  A  tremendous  Storm  and  its  Effects. 

—  Great  Surprise.  —  Examination  and  Exhumation.  — 
Disappointment.  —  Theories.  —  Governor  rides  a  Hobby- 
horse.       .        .        ........      85 

IV. 

Buccaneers.  —  Traditions  of  Mahone  Bay.  —  Spanish  Gal- 
leon.—  Buried  Treasure  of  the  Buccaneers.  —  Plunder 
of  the  Spanish  .Vain.  —  Lost  Ship.  —  Arms  of  the  royal 
House  of  Spain.  —  Convincing  Proof.  —  Further  Wan-     ■ 


B17156 


6  '  CONTENTS. 

derings.  —  Undisciplined  Ponies.  —  Last  Farewell.  — 
The  Antelope  departs.  —  Plan  of  the  Boys.  —  Corbet 
grieves,  but  yields.  —  Out  of  the-  Beach  of  Danger.         .     47 

V. 

Land  again.  —  Line  of  Coast.  —  How  to  navigate.  —  Plans 
for  finding  the  Island  of  Treasure.  —  Bays.  —  Populous 
Island'.  —  Old  Man  and  his  Ox  Cart.  —  Ironbound.  — 
Tancook.  —  Cautious  Questions  of  Bruce.  —  Obtuse  old 
Man.  —  Confidence  from  Solomon.  —  Useless  Search.  — 
Change  of  Policy.  —  How  to  find  the  Island.         .        .     69 

VI. 

Cruise  around  the  Bay.  —  Quaint  and  curious  Town.  — 
Sleepy  Hollow.  —  Home-like  Inn.  —  Oenial  and  commu' 
nicative  Landlord.  —  Delicate  Manipulation.  —  Aspoto- 
gon  and  Deep  Cove.  —  Bart  in  an  Argument.  —  Land- 
lord plunges  into  the  Subject  of  Captain  Kidd.  —  Won- 
derful ^ —elation.  -  Treasure  of  the  Seas  at  last. — 
Islam,         '  olden  Store.  ^        .        .        .        *       •        .71 

VII. 

Wonderful  Story  of  Oak  Island.  —  Circle  in  the  Forest.  — 
Digging  for  Oold.  —  Exciting  Discoveries.  —  Far  down 
in  the  Depths  of  the  Earth.  —  Treasure  touched  at  last.  — 
Treasure  snatched  away.  —  New  Search,  and  its  Resiflts. 

—  Boring  through  the  Chest  of  Gold.  —  Company.  —  New 
Pit  made.  —  Drain.  — New  Efforts.  —  Coffer  Dam.  — 
New  Companies.  —  Captain  Kidd  too  much  for  them.    .     88 

VIII. 

Toilers  of  the  Sea.  —  Efforts  to  find  the  Plunder  of  the  Span- 
ish Main.  —  Modern  Science  vs.  Captain  Kidd.  —  ^jand- 
lord's  Faith.  —  Scoffers  and  Mockers  at  the  Money-hole. 

—  Objections  considered.  —  Timber  Floorings.  —  Stone, 
with  its  mysterious  Inscription.  —  Oravel-pit,  with  its 
Surroundings  of  blue  Clay.  —  Drain  from  the  Sea  io 

the  Money-hole .96 


CONTENTS.  T 

IX. 

Bari  and  Pat  take  a  Walk.  —  Conversation.  —  Pafa  Sug- 
gestion. —  Bart  adopts  it.  —  Tunnel  to  the  Treasure  of 
the  Sea.  —  Plot  kept  secret  from  others.  —  Plans  for  As- 
potogon.  —  Keeping  their  own  Counsel.  —  Bart  and  Pat 
set  forth.  —  Stealing  a  Boat.  —  Search  for  the  Treasure 
Island.  —  Intelligent  Native.  —  New  Way  of  getting  c.» 
the  Treasure.  —  Blood  and  Thunder !  —  Once  more  on 
the  Woy.  —  Pirates'  Istef        .        .        .        ,       ,        ,    108 

X. 

Isle  of  the  Pirates.  —  Oaks  and  the  Mounds.  —  Survey.  — 
Flooded  Pits.  —  Empty  Pit.  —  Staying.  —  Money-hole. 

—  Ilut  and  Contents.  —  Stone  with  the  Inscription.  — 
Preparations  for  a  Descent.  —  Rope  and  Beam.  — Pat's 
Plan  with  the  Pickaxe.  —  Bart  goes  down.  —  All  right. 

—  Come  along —  Pat  goes  down.  —  Terrific  Result.  — 
Sword  of  Damocles.         .......    121 

XI. 

Missing  Ones.  —  Wliat  has  become  of  them  f  —  Theories 
about  Bart  end  Pat.  —  Decision.  —  New  Disappoint- 
ment, a  very  serious  one.  —  Bad  Substitute.  —  Voyage  to 
Aspotogon.  —  Mysterious  Cove.  —  Romantic  Spot.  —  Pic- 
turesque Scenery.  —  Speculations  about  the  Buccaneers, 

—  Very  Hace.  —  Knoll.  —  New  Themes.  —  Mound  over 
the  Treasure  of  the  Seas.  —  Plans  to  get  at  Treasure.  — 
Most  unpleasant  Discovery.  —  Plans  knocked  in  the  Head. 

—  New  Plans,  by  which  to  avoid  all  Difficulties.      .        .    134 

XII. 

Ascent  of  Aspotogon.  —  Slippery  Slopes.  —  Treacherous 
Stones.  —  Thickets.  —  Oreat  Disappointment.  —  Disgust 
of  the  Party.  —  Refreshing  Bath.  —  Exploring  a  Cave.  — 
Where  r^re  the  Buccaneers  f  —  In  the  Water.  —  Alarm. 

—  Terrible  Monster.  —  Fright  and  Flight.  —  Sauve  qui 
peut !  —  Monster  in  Pursuit.  —  Agonies  of  Death.  — 
Bruce  ashore.  —  He  turns  to  give  Help.  —  The  others 
safe.  —  Tom  yet  in  Danger.  —  Abhorrent  Sight.  ,        ,      147 


8 


CONTENTS. 


XlII. 

Roar  of  Laughter  from  Bruce.  —  End  of  this  tremendoug 
Adventure.  —  Reticence  of  the  whole  Party  on  the  Sub- 
ject. —  No  one  can  taunt  the  other.  —  Departure  from  the 
JIaunt  of  the  Buccaneers.  —Antelope  expands  her  white 
Wings.  —  Precautions  of  Corbet  against  dead  Calms.  •  - 
All  labor  at  the  Sweeps.  —  Solace  of  Toil  —  What  Vesstl 
are  you  gliding  in  t  —  Taking  tc  the  Boat.  —  Tumbling 
into  Bed. 169 

XIV. 

Bart  and  Pat.  —  Terrible  Situation.  —  First  Horror,  and 
its  Effects.  —  Attempt  to  scale  the  Corners.  —  Trying  the 
Sides.  —  Too  wide  by  far.  —  Pat  wants  to  tie  a  Rope  to 
Nothing.  —  Pickaxe.  —  New  Attempts  at  Climbing.  — 
Disappointments.  —  Pat's  Fc  iility  of  Invention.  —  Nei9 
Suggestion.  —  Dangerous  Experiment.  —  Running  the 
Risk.—  Tugginq  at  the  Logs.  —  Obstinate  Fabric.  —  Baf- 
fled and  beaten. •    181 

XV. 

Pat  and  the  Pick.  —  Dangerous  Plan.  —  Undermining  the 
Foundation.  —  Terrible  Risk.  —  Something  like  an 
Earthquake.  —  A  Way  opened.  —  7%ei/  make  an  Ascent. 
Sudden  Stop.  —  Projecting  Log.  —  Pickaxe.  —  Who  shaU 
gc  down  f  —  New  Descent.  —  Watch  of  Bart.  —  Alarm.  — 
Call.  —  Silence.  —  Terror.  —  Answer.  —  Fearful  Intelli- 
gence. —  The  very  worst.  —  fhe  Drain.  —  Rising  Wa- 
ters.—  Pit  flooded.  —  Impending  Doom.         .        .        .    184 

XVI. 

Waking  from  a  fiound  Sleep.  —  Missing  Ones.  —  Earnest 
Debate.  —  Various  Theories.  —  Fishing  vs.  Sailing.  — 
Afloat  or  Ashore.  —  Emotion  of  the  venerable  Corbet.  — 
His  solemn  Declaration.  —  7%e  Antelope  or  the  Whaler. 
—  Landlord's  View  of  the  Case.  —  Doubts  and  Perplexi- 
ties. —  "  Afloat  or  Ashore  "  again.  —  Landlord's  View  of 
the  Sailing  Theory,  and  Decision  in  Favor  of  the  Fish- 
ing Hypothesis.  —  The  Lost  Ones  camping  out  for  the 
Night .    198 


CONTENTS. 


9 


XVII. 

New  Arrival.  —  **  Long  •short  Man."  —  Strange  and  star- 
tltng  Tale.  —  Fears  again  awakened.  —  The  Stranger's 
supershtious  Dread.  —  Boat  found,  but  Boys  gone.  — 
Landlord's  Statement.  —  Fears  confirmed.  —  Off  to  the 
Rescue.  —  Oak  Island.  —  Empty  Boat.  —  Where  are  the 
Boys  t  —  Flooded  Pits.  —  No  Signs  of  the  Missing  Ones. 

—  Theory  of  Roach.  —  Ktdd  and  his  Gang.  .        .        .    210 

XVIII. 

Place  of  Peril.  —  Descent  of  the  Darkness.  —  Dreadful  Ex- 
pectation. —  Sound  from  the  nether  Abyss.  —  Risxr  ;  Wa- 
ters. —  Higher  and  higher.  —  Gleam  of  Hope.  —  iJeams 
intermixed.  —  Borne  upward  on  the  Waters.  —  Last 
Chance.  —  Final  Struggle.  —  Pat  up  to  the  Surface.  — 
Dropping  a  Line  to  a  Friend.  —  Midnight  Sky,  and 
Mor.iiit  Sea.  —  Lone  Ilut.  —  Explorers.  —  Despondency. 

—  Last  Resort.  —  Sleepers  awake.  —  Wild  and  frantic 
Joy.  —  Voice  of  the  Landlord.  —  Joint  Stock  Company, 
and  Steam  Engine. 222 

XIX. 

Tale  unfolded  to  Solomon  and  to  Captain  Corbet.  —  How 
they  took  it.—  New  Departure.  —  Bee-line  fur  Home.  — 
Obstacle.  —  Old  Enemy.  —  All  at  Sea.  —  Terrible  Calami- 
ty. —  Striking  a  Rock.  —  Perilous  Position.  —  To  the 
Pumps.  —  Preparing  for  the  Worst.        ....    235 

XX. 

Again  on  the  Waters.  —  Terrible  Discovery.  —  Foot  of  Wa- 
ter in  ihe  Hold.  —  To  the  Pumps.  —  A  desperate  Strug- 
gle. —  Evening  Meal.  —  Corbet  gazes  on  Vacancy.  —  La- 
borious Night.  —  New  Toils.  —  Exhaustion.  —  Fighting 
with  the  Waters.  —  Discouragement.  —  Leak  gains  on 
them.  —  End  approaching.  247 

XXI. 

Miserable  Night.  —  No  one  shrinks.  —  Efforts  lessen.  — 
Morning  comes.  —Four  Feet  of  Water  in  the  Hold.  — 
Take  to  the  Boat !  —  Come  along.  Captain  !  —  Dignity 
of  Corbet.  —  Folly  of  Pat.  —  Insanity  of  Solomon.  — Im- 
becility of  Wade. —  Perplexity  of  ihe  Boys.  —  "  Dat  ar  ate 
Woman  ! "  —  Agony  of  Impatience.  —  Tempting  Fate.   .    269 


10 


CONTENTS. 


XXII. 

The  Waters  rise.  —  The  Boys  try  Force.  —  Attack  on  Pat. 

—  Jle  ts  overpowered.  —  My  Name's  Wade.  —  Irish  Howl. 

—  Sohmon  immovable.  —  Ancient  Mariner.  —  Boys  fly. 

—  Flight  of  Solomon.  —  "  Drefful  Times."  —Corbet  sings 
his  Death  Song.  —  Rhapsody  on  the  Antelope.  —  The  ris- 
xng  Waters.  —  Doomed  Schooner.  —  Antelope  sinking.  — 
Corbet  slowly  disappearing  beneath  the  raging  Seas.     .    271 

XXI II. 

Watching  with  pallid  Faces.  —  The  Torso  of  Corbet. — Un' 
pleasant  Discovery. —  Pat  and  the  salt  Water. —  The  Rheu- 
matiz  and  kindred  Diseases.  —  Where  to  go.  —  Where 
are  we  t  —  Sable  Island.  —  Anticosti,  Bermuda,  Jamai- 
ca, Newfoundland,  Cape  Cod,  or  Owld  Ireland.  —  Land 
Breeze.  —  Sounding  for  the  Land.  —  Land  ahead.        .    283 

XXIV. 

Rowing  ashore.  —  Nearer  they  come.  —  Fog  dispels.  — 
Strangely  familiar.  —  A  Man  advances  towards  them.  — 
Wild  Shouts  from  the  Boys.  —  Confused  Rejoicings.  — 
Hearty  Welcome.  —  Explanations.  —  Receding  Tide.  — 
Visit  to  the  Antelope.  —  Mournful  Remembrances.  —  Last 
Speech  of  Captain  Corbet.        .         .        .        ,        .        .    295 

XXV. 

Discussing  the  Situation.  —  By  Land  or  by  Sea.  —  Confer- 
ences with  Bennie.  —  Offer  of  Bennie.  —  Last  Meal  at    . 
Scott's  Bay.  —  The  Boat  is  on  the  Shore,  and  the  Bark  is 
on  the  Sea,  —  Farewell  Speech  of  the  Ancient  Mariner.       304 

XXVI. 

A  hard  Pull.  —  Wind  and  Tide.  —  Bennxe's  *'  Idee."  — 
Jolly  under  creditable  Circumstances.  —  Triple  Promon- 
tory. —  Advance  of  the  Fog.  —  Line  of  Cliff.  —  Foaming 
Sea.  —  Slow  Passage  of  the  Hours.  —  Strait  of  Minus.  — 
Land  at  last.  —  Bennie  triumphant 315 

XXVII. 

Village  by  the  Sea.  —  Village  Inn.  —  Hospitable  Landlord. 

—  Making  Inquiries.  —  Astounding  Intelligence.  —  Dis- 
may followed  by  Despair.  —  Search  without  Re&ult.  — 

Mournful  Walk.  —  A  Sail !  A  Sail !  —  Boat,  ahoy  !  An 
old  Friend  f  —  Great  Jubilation.  —  Conclusion.       .        .    82S 


IDE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


1>J^0 


1. 


TJie  aged  Schooner,  —  'fJie  Ancient  Mariner.  — 
The  JFaste  of  Waters.  —  Perplexity.  —  Solomon 
and  the  Sato-dust  Soup.  —  27ie  decrepit  Com- 
pass. —  The  baffled,  Navigator.  —  The  despondent 
Boys.  —  A  sudden  Squall.  —  The  Sails  come  to 
Grief.  —  Captain  Corbet  to  the  Rescue. — No  Use! 
Too  far  gone  I  —  The  Antelope  at  the  3Iercy  of 
the  Winds  and  Waves. 


►HE  waters  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  were  red- 
dened far  and  wide  by  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun.  The  glorious  beams  had  flashed  over 
tract  after  tract  of  the  watery  expanse  as  they 
came  from  the  east,  until  at  length  ley  poured 
in  a  full  blaze  upon  a  certain  gay  and  gallant  bark 
which  lay  tossing  upon  the  tide  somewhere  with- 
in a  hunth'ed  miles  or  so  of  the  shore  of  the  west- 
ern world. 

Yet  though  undeniably  gay  and  gallant,  the  hand 
of  time  was  visible  on  that  bounding  bark.  For 
her  buoyant  hull  was  worn,  and  torn,  and  aged,  and 

11 


12 


THE  TREASURE  OF   THE  SEAS. 


weather-beaten,  and  in  fact  decrepit.  Aloft,  over 
that  battered  hull,  whose  dilapidated  sides,  covered 
with  bruises  and  bare  of  paint,  showed  gaping 
seams,  from  which  the  oakum  protruded,  rose  tho 
rickety  masts  and  rotten  old  rigging.  The  sails, 
all  torn,  and  worn,  and  rent,  and  patched,  were 
spread  to  catch  the  breeze,  while  on  high  floated  a 
gallant  but  dingy  flag,  bearing  the  blazonry  of  a 
now  undecipherable  emblem,  together  with  letters 
now  half  effaced,  which  looked  like  "  B.  0.  W.  C." 

Such  a  disreputable  craft,  and  such  preposteroug 
sails,  had  surely  never  before  met  the  eye  of  tho 
astonished  sun  in  these  waters,  and  great  must 
have  been  the  hardihood,  or  else  tho  ignorance,  of 
those  who  dared  commit  tliemselves  and  her  to  tho 
merciless  ocean.  Whether  bold  or  ignorant,  how- 
ever, there  tliey  were,  all  of  them  —  Captain 
Corbet,  the  mate,  Solomon,  and  the  boys  of  the 
"  B.  0.  W.  C.;"  and  these  now  all  stood  on  the  deck 
of  the  Antelope,  looking  at  the  reddening  dawn. 

At  the  helm  of  his  gallant  bark  stood  her  bold 
commander,  as  wise,  as  vigilant,  and  as  care-worn 
as  ever,  shading  his  venerable  brow  with  his  hand, 
while,  with  eagle  eye,  he  sought  to  make  out  some 
floating  object  or  some  friendly  shore.  But  to  that 
eagle  eye  the  wide  waste  of  waters  showed  nothing 
of  the  kind ;  and  so  it  came  to  pass  that,  at  length, 
the  aged  Corbet  heaved  a  gentle  sigh,  and  his  eyes 
rested  with  mournful  meaning  upon  his  young 
companions. 


THE   ANCIENT   MARINER. 


13 


*'  Well,  captain,"  said  Bart,  who  was  ctanding 
near  him, "  we  don't  seem  to  have  made  land  yet  — 
do  we?" 

The  captiiin  shook  his  head  slowly  and  solemnly. 

"  Kine  o'  curoiis,  too,"  he  ejaculated,  jifter  a 
thoughtful  pause. 

"  I  don't  suppose  you  have  any  more  idea  of 
where  we  are  than  you  had  yesterday." 

"  Wal,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  "  not  to  say  much 
of  an  idea ;  but  I'm  kine  o'  comin  round,  an  mebbe 
I'll  get  the  hang  of  it  yet." 

"  Well,  why  not  head  her  west  ?  We'll  bo  sure 
to  come  in  sight  of  land  then." 

Again  the  captain  shook  his  head. 

"Wal,  I  don't  know,"  said  he,  "about  that 
Thar's  currents,  an  thar's  eddies ;  an  thar's  the 
Gulf  Stream  to  be  considered.  Now,  if  we'd  kep 
straight  on  at  fust,  when  we  got  out  o'  Canso, 
we'd  been  all  right ;  or  even  after  we  left  Louis- 
bourg,ef  we'd  only  kep  along  the  coast,  in  sight  — 
but  thar's  the  mischief  of  it.  I  let  her  git  out  o' 
sight  o'  land  that  night,  an  she  got  kine  o'  slewed 
round,  and  's  kep  kine  o'  cantin  round  every  which 
way,  until  at  last  she's  in  this  here  onfort'nit  posi- 
tion. An  now  I'm  all  teetotally  aderrift !  " 
.  "  0, 1  shouldn't  think  that  we  can  be  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  or  so  south-east  of  the  Nova  Scotia 
coast." 

"  Wal,  I  don't  know  ;  seems  to  me  we  may  jest 
as  well  be  oflF  Bermudy  as  any  whars  else." 


14 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"  Bermuda  I "  exclaimed  Bart,  in  amazement. 
"  You  don't  mean  that." 

"  Wal,  I  don't  see  why  not.  Here  we  air,  after 
a  kerrewsin  around  a  whole  fortnight  every  which 
way,  driven  up  an  down  by  wind  an  tide,  an  can- 
terin  along  with  the  Gulf  Stream ;  an  whenever 
we  ventured  to  hail  a  passin  vessel,  only  gettin 
the  finger  o'  scorn  a  pinted  at  us  for  our  pains,  an 
the  laughter  of  frivolous  an  light-minded  men.  So 
what's  to  hender  us  from  bein  any whars  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Bart,  "  don't  you  think  it  would  be 
better  to  take  some  one  course,  and  stick  to  it?" 

"  Ain't  I  done  it  ?  "  said  the  captain.  "  Ain't  I 
done  it  every  day  ?  Every  day  I  took  some  defi- 
nite course,  and  stuck  to  it ;  an  what's  the  result  ? 
Young  sir,  if  you  seek  a  answer,  look  around." 

"  But  something  must  be  done,"  said  Bart,  "  or 
else  we'll  find  the  Antelope  becoming  a  second 
edition  of  the  Flying  Dutchman.  A  fortnight  of 
this  sort  of  thing  's  no  joke." 

"  Who  ever  said  it  was  ?  "  said  Captain  Corbet. 
"  An  what's  wuss,  every  passin  vessel  will  pussist 
in  makin  it  a  joke.  They  think  we're  a  fishin 
schooner,  bound  to  the  banks ;  an  if  we  ask  a  hon- 
est question,  they  won't  do  anything  but  yell  out 
jokes  that  ain't  got  any  pint  that  ever  I  can  see. 
Wal,  this  sarves  me  right,  for  ever  ventrin  outside 
of  old  Fundy.  Put  me  in  old  Fundy  an  I'm  all 
right ;  out  here  I  ain't  any  good,  an  hadn't  ought 
ever  to  dreamt  of  comin." 


PERPLEXITY. 


15 


Prom  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  ill-fated  Ante- 
lope was  once  more  in  a  most  unpleasant  pre- 
dicament, and  the  company  on  board  appeared  in 
danger  of  encountering  adventures  of  as  unpleasant 
a  kind  as  they  had  known  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence,  if  not  worpo.  And  certainly  the  prospect 
was  dark  indeed,  when  the  captain  himself  could 
go  so  far  as  to  hint  at  Bermuda  as  being  by  any  pos- 
sibility in  their  neighborhood.  So  Bart  thought ; 
and  as  he  walked  away  there  was  a  shade  of  anx- 
iety on  his  brow. 

As  he  walked  forward  he  saw  Solomon  drawing 
some  water  for  breakfast  out  of  one  of  the  barrels. 

"  Solomon,"  asked  Bart,  "  how  are  we  off  for 
provisions  this  time  ?  " 

The  sable  functionary  raised  his  aged  form,  and, 
holding  the  water-pail  in  one  hand,  with  the  other 
he  slowly  scratched  his  venerable  wool. 

"  Wal,  Masr  Bart,"  said  he,  "  dis  yar  time  wo 
ain't  got  no  'tiklar  cause  for  'ziety.  Dar's  a  barl  of 
salt  pork,  an  two  barls  of  biscuit,  an  dat  ar's  'ficient 
for  de  'quirements  of  dis  yar  company.  Lucky  for 
as,  too,  dat  Cap'n  Fuggeson  cars  for  us.  He  puti 
this  pork  an  biscuit  aboard  for  extry,  an  say  dat  wo 
all  boun  to  come  to  roonatinm  some  how.  An 
dat  ar  am  de  very  'visiuns  dat  wo  got  to  lib  on 
now." 

"  But  haven't  we  got  anything  better  than  salt 
pork  and  biscuit  left  ?  "  a»ked  Bai-t,  in  a  rueful  tone. 

"  Well,  notiB  'tiklar.    Dar's  a  drawiu  or  two  ob 


16 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


tea  —  an  a  grain  or  two  ob  flour — an  some  red 
her'n ;  but,  law  sakes  I  child  alive  —  what  you  moan 
by  frettin  and  pinin  so  long's  dar's  lot  to  eat?  Neb- 
ber  you  mind.  I'll  cook  up  dia  yar  pork  so  's  you'll 
blieve  it's  roast  turkey.  Will  so.  You  don't  know 
mo  yet.  Tell  you  what,  —  wait  till  you  see  how  I 
cook  up  dis  yar." 

"  0, 1  know,"  said  Bart ;  "  I  believe  ycu  could 
feed  us  on  saw-dust  soup,  if  you  hadn't  anything 
else.     It  wasn't  that." 

"  Saw-dust  soup  1 "  cried  Solomon.  His  eyes 
rolled  fearfully.  His  aged  figure  bent  double.  He 
put  the  pail  of  water  down,  and  then  seated  him- 
self on  the  deck,  where  he  proceeded  to  shake  his 
venerable  sides,  and  swing  his  body  backward  and 
forward,  while  chuckles,  and  giggles,  and  choking 
laughter  burst  from  him.  Every  little  while,  as  he 
could  get  his  breath,  ho  would  roll  up  the  whites 
of  his  eyes  with  a  look  of  ecstasy,  and  whisper  to 
himself, "  Saw-dust  soup  I  —  saw-dust  soup  1  —  dat's 
so.  Tell  you  what !  takes  ole  Solomon  to  do  it. 
He's  de  boy.     Is  so  1     Yah,  yah,  yah  1 " 

From  this  outburst  of  African  sentiment  Bart 
turned  mournfully  away,  and  stood  apart,  looking 
pensively  upon  the  water.  The  other  boys  seemed 
to  feel  as  he  did,  for  they  all  had  on  their  faces  an 
expression  of  anxiety  and  disappointment.  They 
all  knew  how  they  were  situated,  and  the  situation 
was  not  agreeable  to  any  one  of  them.  Whatever 
novelty  there  may  have  been  in  it  had  gone  off 


THE  BAFFLED  NAVIGATOR. 


17 


fart 
ing 
led 
an 
liey 
lion 
rer 
loff 


long  ago,  and  there  was  nothing  now  left  but  im- 
patience and  vexation  of  spirit. 

The  wind  had  been  freshening  during  the  night ; 
and  now,  as  the  day  advanced,  it  grew  more  and 
more  boisterous. 

"  It's  biowin  a  leetle  mite  too  fresh,"  said  Captain 
Corbet  to  Bruce, "  for  to  contennew  on  this  course  ; 
80  ni  jest  come  round,  an  run  afore  it.  Arter  all, 
it's  the  best  course,  —  for  it's  west,  an  had  ought  to 
fetch  us  up  somewhar  eventooly,  though  I  ain't 
got  overly  much  confidence  in  this  hero  compass." 

"  Compass !  Why,  what's  the  matter  with  tho 
compass?"  asked  Bruce. 

"  Wal,  yesterday  at  sunrise,"  said  Captain  Cor- 
bet, in  a  gentle  tone  of  regret,  "  I  noticed  that,  ac- 
cordin  to  the  compass,  the  sun  was  a  risin  in  tho 
nothe,  an  that  was  agin  natur.  So  I  knowed  that 
either  the  sun  was  wrong  or  the  compass,  and 
nat'r'ly  concluded  that  it  was  the  compans.  So  I 
jest  examined  it,  an  sure  enough,  I  found  the  needle 
all  rusted  up ;  an  I'm  a  leetle  mite  afeared  it  ain't 
no  more  good,  jest  now,  than  a  rusty  nail.  Conse- 
quentl}'',  I  don't  feel  like  settin  any  very  great  confi- 
dence on  her.  Wal,  for  that  matter,  I  never 
tiiought  much  of  compasses,  an  don't  gen'rally  go 
by  them  when  I'm  in  old  Fundy,  though  here- 
abouts they  might  p'aps  be  some  use." 

At  this  fresh  instance  of  Captain  Corbet's  way  of 
navigating,  Bruce  was  so  overwhelmed  that  ho 
could  not  say  a  single  word.  A  flush  passed  over 
2 


18 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


his  face.  His  lips  parted  aa  though  he  was  about 
to  speak;  but  he  cbecked  the  rising  remark,  and 
walked  forward,  where  he  began  to  talk  earnestly 
with  the  other  boys. 

But  suddenly  their  conversation  was  interrupted. 
There  was  a  sharp  crash,  a  wild  flap,  a  dark 
^hadow,  and  in  an  instant  a  large  object  floated 
aw«y  through  the  air  on  the  wings  of  the  wind, 
while  the  noise  of  flapping,  snapping,  and  cracking 
still  filled  their  ears.  A  hurried,  startled  glance 
showed  them  all.  As  the  Antelope  was  coming 
round,  a  gust  of  wind  more  violent  than  usual  had 
struck  her.  The  old  sails  were  too  weak  to  stand 
it.  The  mainsail  yielded  utterly,  and  was  torn 
clean  off,  and  flung  away  upon  the  waters.  The 
ibresail  had  suff'ered  but  little  less  injury,  for  it 
had  been  torn  completely  asunder,  and  now  showed 
a  huge  rent,  while  the  two  portions  flapped  wildly 
and  furiously  in  the  blast. 

"  Wal,"  said  Captain  Corbet, "  ef —  this  —  here  — 
don't  — beat  — all!" 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  stood  contem- 
plating the  ruin  before  him. 

"  Wal,"  he  continued,  drawing  a  long  breath, 
"  what's  got  to  be  must  be.  I  knowed  it  would 
come  some  day.  Yon  can't  fight  agin  the  wind  an 
storm  for  more'n  seventeen  year  without  feelin  it ; 
and  these  sails  has  been  an  had  their  day.  I 
knowed  it.  I  told  you,  boys,  once  —  I  dar  say  you 
mind  the  time  —  that  them  sails  might  bo  stronger. 


THE  TORN  SAIL. 


19 


and  that  they  wasn't  adapted  to  be  hung  on  to  a 
ship  of  a  thousand  ton.  Still  I  did  hope  that  they'd 
stand  this  here  vyge." 

"  But  what  are  we  going  to  do  now,  captain  ?  " 
asked  Tom. 

"  Do  ?  "  said  the  captain.  "  0,  wal,  'tain't  so  bad's 
it  might  be.  We've  got  the  foresail  yet ;  an  me 
and  Wade  '11  fix  her ;  we'll  take  her,  an  sew  her 
up,  and  make  her  as  good  as  new ;  an  we'll  work 
along  some  how.  You  needn't  be  troubled ;  it  ain't 
goin  to  make  a  mite  of  difference ;  an  I  don't 
know,  after  all,  but  what  in  the  long  run  p'aps  it's 
a  goin  to  be  better  for  us.  We  ain't  ben  a  doiu 
much  with  the  two  sails,  that  sartain ;  p'aps  now 
we'll  do  better  with  only  one.'* 

And  now  the  venerable  captain  and  his  noble 
mate  prepared  to  obtain  possession  of  the  sail. 
This  was  done  without  any  very  great  effort,  the 
boys  all  assisting.  Then  the  two  navigators 
(master  and  mate),  having  armed  themselves  with 
sail-needles  and  twine,  proceeded  to  sew  up  the 
rent,  to  patch,  to  mend,  and,  in  general,  to  renovate 
the  old,  old  wornout  sail.  At  length  this  last  was 
happily  accomplished ;  the  sail  was  restored  to  its 
place,  and  as  it  swelled  out  at  the  pressure  of  the 
ocean  blast,  it  seemed  as  efiScient  as  ever.  But 
either,  in  this  case,  appearances  were  deceptive,  or 
else  its  previous  condition  had  been  deplorably 
weak.  Certain  it  is,  that  after  having  sustained 
the  blast  for  about  half  an  hour,  the  old  rag  of  a  sail 


20 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


began  to  give  way  again  in  a  dozen  different 
places,  and  at  length  split  up  almost  close  benide 
the  former  rent.  At  this  Captain  Corbet  surveyed 
Uie  tattered  canvas  with  melancholy  roi^ignation. 

"  This  here  wind,"  said  he,  "  is  a  leetle  too  stiff 
for  her  jeat  now.  1  think  we'd  better  save  her 
from  another  time.  She'll  do  very  well  in  milder 
weather." 

By  "  she  "  Captain  Corbet  meant  the  sail,  which 
he  thus  personi6ed  with  affectionate  familiarity. 
As  he  said  this,  he  proceeded  to  lower  the  tattered 
canvas,  and  examine  it  in  a  pitying,  compassionate, 
and  caressing  sort  of  way,  quite  oblivious  of  any 
other  duty. 

.  Meanwhile  the  Antelope  tossed  and  pitched 
about  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  There  was 
nothing  that  deserved  the  name  of  a  storm ;  yet, 
nevertheless,  the  wind  was  boisterous,  and  the 
sea  somewhat  rough.  The  position  of  the  Antelope 
became,  therefore,  in  the  highest  degree  unpleas- 
ant, and  this  last  example  of  Captain  Corbet's  help- 
lessness and  incapacity  served  to  complete  the  de- 
spondency of  the  boys.  It  now  seemed  as  though 
their  last  hope  had  gone.  The  compass  was  use- 
less; the  sails  were  reduced  to  rags;  they  had 
no  means  of  flight  from  their  present  misery ;  and 
the  only  comfort  remaining  was,  that  the  danger 
which  menaced  them  was  not  immediate,  and 
might  yet  be  evaded. 

Nothing  now  was  left  to  the  boys  but  to  watch 


THE  DINNER. 


21 


with  eager  eyes  the  scene  around  —  to  search  over 
the  waste  of  waters  with  the  hope  of  seeing  some 
sail,  or  perhaps  some  sign  of  land.  And  to  this 
they  devoted  themselves.  It  was  indeed  a  clieer- 
losa  task,  and  one,  too,  which  gave  them  but  little 
hope.  Hours  passed,  yet  no  sail  appeared.  Din- 
ner time  came,  and  the  dinner  was  spread ;  yet 
the  boys  showed  but  little  appetite.  They  had 
been  in  far  worse  circumstances  than  this,  yet  still 
this  was  sufficiently  unpleasant  to  destroy  all  relish 
for  Solomon's  cookery,  even  if  the  banquet  had  been 
composed  of  greater  dainties  than  salt  pork  ffnd 
sea  biscuit. 

Thus  the  guests  at  that  banquet  were  not  at  all 
appreciative ;  and  they  sat  there  in  the  schooner's 
hold,  not  to  eat,  but  merely  to  pass  the  time,  which 
hung  BO  heavy  on  their  hands.  Yet  even  thus 
their  impatience  did  not  allow  them  to  spend  much 
time  at  the  dinner,  for  they  soon  retreated,  and 
took  up  their  stations  on  deck  once  more,  to  stare 
around,  to  scan  tiie  horizon,  and  to  peer  into  empty 
space. 

Hours  passed.  On  that  afternoon,  the  wind 
gradually  went  down,  and  there  seemed  a  prospect 
of  calmer  weather.  Captain  Corbet  began  to  talk 
of  mending  the  sail,  and  hoisting  it  again ;  and 
at  length,  calling  upon  Wade,  he  and  his  mate 
proceeded  with  needles  and  sail  twine  to  patch 
up  as  before.  Into  this  occupation  these  two 
plunged,  but  the  boys  still  stood  on  the  lookout. 


22 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


At  length,  Bart  directed  Bruce's  attention  to 
Bomething  which  appeared  on  the  margin  of  the 
sea,  far  away  on  the  horizon, 

"  Bruce/'  said  he,  "  don't  you  see  something  out 
there  that  looks  like  the  mast  of  a  vessel  ?  " 

Bruce  looked  eagerly  in  the  direction  where 
Bart  was  pointing,  and  tiie  others,  who  had  heard 
the  remark,  did  the  same. 


A  STRANGE  AND  STABTLINO  SIGHT. 


23 


II. 


A  strange  aiid  startling  Sight.  —  A  Mast  in  Mid- 
ocean.  —  Land.  —  A  Land  of  Terror.  —  A  Panic. 

—  The  worst  Place  in  all  the  World.  —  Tom 
drives  away  the  Panic.  —  Drifting,  —r  The  An- 
chor dropped.  —  The  Dawn  </  Day.  —  The  low 
Land  on  the  Horizon.  —  Preparing  to  go  ashore, 

—  I%e  Confidences  of  the  unfortunate  Solomon. 


fS  they  all  stood  looking  in  the  direction 
where  Bart  was  pointing,  — 
"  I  see  it,"  said  Bruce.    "  It's  certainly 
the  mast,  and  the  mast  of  a  ship,  for  there  is  the 
yard  and  the  rigging ;  but  there's  only  one  mast." 

« It's  a  sloop,"  said  Phil. 

"No,"  said  Tom;  "it's  a  square-rigged  vessel 
of  some  sort." 

"  Sure  an  it  ain't  got  no  more  'n  one  mast,"  said 
Pat ;  "  an  be  the  same  token,  there's  no  hull  at  all 
at  all.  Be  the  powers,  but  it  would  be  a  quare 
thing  intirely  if  it  was  to  turrun  out  to  be  another 
wather-logged  ship.  An  if  it  is,  it's  meself  that'll 
not  set  fut  aboord  of  her ;  not  me,  so  it  isn't." 

"  There's  something,"  said  Bruce,  "  that  may  be 


24 


THE  TBEASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


a  hull.  I  can  see  it  sometimes  quite  plain.  Now 
looic,  boys,  carefully,  all  of  you,  as  we  rise  on  tlie 
top  of  a  wave." 

All  this  time  Arthur  had  been  examining  the 
object  through  the  spy-glass.  As  Bruce  said  this, 
he  handed  the  glass  to  him. 

"  It's  not  a  ship,"  said  he,  "  nor  a  vessel  of  any 
kind.    It^s  land." 

"  Land  1 "  cried  all  the  boys. 

"  Yes,"  said  Arthur. 

All  were  silent.  Brnce  took  a  look  through  the 
glass,  and  then  passed  it  to  Bart,  who,  after  look- 
ing through  it,  passed  it  on  to  the  others. 

"  It's  a  fact,"  said  Bruce.    "  It's  land ;  and  that's 


If 


"  It's  very  low  land,"  said  Arthur. 

"  It's  a  mere  sand-bank,"  said  Bruce. 

"  A  sand-bank,"  said  Bart,  "  with  a  flag-staff  in 
the  middle  of  the  ocean !     It's  queer." 

"Yes,"  said  Bruce;  "and  remember  this,  too, 
that  this  sand-bank  in  the  ocean,  with  this  flag- 
staff, is  probably  not  very  far  away  from  the  coast 
of  Nova  Scotia.  Now,  put  this  and  that  together, 
boys,  and  where  do  you  think  we  are  ?  " 

At  this  question  they  all  looked  at  one  another 
in  silence,  and  for  a  time  no  answer  was  made. 

"  Well,"  said  Tom,  at  length,  "  I'll  tell  you  what 
it  is,  boys.  I  believe  that  another  prophecy  of 
Captain  Ferguson's  is  turning  out  true.  He  proph- 
esied that  we'd  be  thrown  upon  Anticosti,  and  so 


A  PANIC. 


25 


we  were.  He  prophesied  that  we'd  be  thrown 
on  another  place,  and  this  is  that  place.  You  all 
know  what  I  mean.     I  mean  Sable  Island." 

The  boys  made  no  remark.  This  thonght  had 
been  in  the  minds  of  all  of  them.  It  was  a  thonght 
that  brought  the  deepest  anxiety  and  gloom.  For, 
bad  as  Anticosti  was,  there  was  one  worse  place ; 
and  that  place  was  the  very  sand-bank  before  them 
—  Sable  Island  1 

The  boys  had  all  along  been  hoping  for  deliver- 
ance, either  in  the  shape  of  some  passing  vessel 
or  some  sign  of  land.  But  this  land,  which  they 
had  approached  unwittingly,  seemed  to  be  ear- 
rounded  by  a  terror  far  worse  than  anything  that 
was  connected  with  their  present  situation.  For 
Sable  Island  —  that  treacherous  sand-bank  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea  —  had  always  been  known  to  all 
of  them  as  the  dread  of  seamen,  the  trap  of  ships, 
and  the  graveyard  of  shipwrecked  sailors.  The 
solitary  flag-staff  rose  there  out  of  the  low  island, 
as  though  to  warn  them  away,  like  a  signal  of 
danger;  and  yet  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
move  away.  Without  sails,  and  without  a  com- 
pass, they  were  helpless ;  and  there  seemed  now 
no  prospect,  except  to  go  ashore  there  and  meet 
their  doom. 

Tom  was  the  first  to  rouse  himself 

"Captain,"  said  he, "  here's  Sable  Island.  Come 
and  take  a  good  look  at  it,  for  we're  going  ashore." 

Captain  Corbet  had  been  so  intent  upon  his 


26 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


work  of  patching  the  old  sail,  that  he  had  heard 
and  seen  nothing  of  this  excitement  among  the 
boys.  These  words  of  Tom  came,  therefore,  sud- 
denly and  abruptly,  and  filled  him  with  a'  terror 
equal  to  theirs.  He  started  as  though  he  had  been 
shot.  His  needle  dropped  from  his  hands.  For  a 
few  moments  he  sat  staring  at  Tom ;  and  then  he 
rose  slowly  to  his  feet,  and  going  over  to  where 
the  boys  stood,  he  looked  out  over  the  waters  to 
where  their  eyes  were  directed.  He  stood  staring 
for  a  long  time  in  perfect  silence. 

"  Sable  Island  ! "  he  at  length  said,  in  a  low  voice. 
"  Wal,  boys, —  I  didn't  ever  think  —  I'd  ever  live 
—  to  see  —  this  here  day.  I've  ben  a  tryin  all  my 
life,  boys,  to  keep  clar  of  this  here  island;  but 
fate's  stronger  than  the  hand  of  man,  —  au  here 
we  air  1 " 

"  O,  see  here  now,"  said  Tom.  "  Come,  now, 
captain,  this  here  sort  of  thing  won't  do  at  all, 
you  know.  There  can't  be  any  very  great  dan- 
ger. The  wind's  gone  down,  you  know.  The 
sea's  ever  so  much  smoother  than  it  was,  and 
it's  going  to  be  smoother  still.  All  sorts  of  vessels 
visit  this  island.  The  Nova  Scotia  government 
send  supplies  here  regularly ;  and  so  I  don't  see 
what  danger  there  is.  For  my  part,  I  think  we'd 
all  better  go  ashore.  The  mort  I  think  of  it,  the 
more  convinced  I  am  that  we'll  be  better  off 
ashore  on  Sable  Island  than  we  are  drifting  about 
on  board  of  the  Antelope.     And  so  I  say,  Hurrah, 


TOM  DRIVES  AWAY  THE  PANIC. 


27 


boys,  for  Sable  Island  !  Let's  go  ashore,  and  get 
a  decent  sail  for  this  vessel,  and  some  supplies." 

These  words  cheered  the  boys  amazingly.  A 
reaction  at  once  took  place.  Tom  was  right.  The 
sea  was  calm  enough  here  to  admit  of  a  landing 
anywhere ;  and  in  the  face  of  this  fact  thoughts 
of  danger  were  not  to  be  entertained. 

Yet  the  panic  which  had  been  inspired  by  the 
very  name  of  Sable  Island  may  easily  bo  ex- 
plained ;  and,  in  circumstances  like  these,  it  was 
quite  justifiable.  For  of  all  places  in  the  world, 
Sable  Island  is,  perhaps,  most  dreaded  by  seamen. 
It  is  a  low  sand-bank,  about  twenty  miles  long  and 
one  mile  wide.  This  much  is  above  water.  But 
besides  what  is  visible  to  the  eye,  there  is  much 
more  invisible,  treacherous,  beneath  the  sea,  ex- 
tending ail  around  it.  Sable  Island  is,  in  fact,  the 
crest  of  a  vast  sand-bank  or  shoal,  which  rises  out 
of  the  ocean  depths,  about  a  hundred  miles  south- 
east of  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  in  the  very 
track  of  the  vast  commerce  between  England  and 
America.  Though  the  island  itself  is  not  more 
than  twenty  miles  long,  the  shoal  extends  much 
farther ;  and  it  has  been  calculated  that,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty  miles,  there  is  danger  to  the  ship 
which  ventures  too  near.  Moreover,  this  shoal 
runs  in  a  curved  line,  and  may  be  said  to  enclose 
in  a  segment  of  a  dangerous  circle  all  vessels 
sailing  north  of  it.  or  between  it  and  the  main  land. 
Approach  to  it  in  a  storm  is  always  dangerous; 


fm 


28 


THE  TREASURE  OP   THE  SEAS. 


and  with  certain  winds  it  is  positive  destruction ; 
wherefore  ships  always  give  it  a  wide  berth. 
Many  are  the  vessels  which  are  known  to  have 
been  lost  there ;  but  many  more,  by  iar,  are  sup- 
posed to  have  perished  on  the  outlying  shoals, 
without  leaving  a  vestige  behind  to  tell  of  their 
fate. 

Now,  however,  there  was  nothing  like  a  storm. 
The  wind,  that  had  prevailed  all  day,  was  gone ; 
and  it  only  needed  Tom's  cheery  words  to  drive 
away  from  all  of  them  the  terror  that  for  a  time 
had  taken  possession  of  their  souls.  They  there- 
fore roused  themselves  from  the  silence  and  the 
gloom  into  which  they  had  fallen,  and  began  to 
talk  over  the  probabilities  of  a  landing.  Each  one 
brought  forth  all  that  he  knew  about  Sable  Island, 
and  added  it  to  the  common  stock  of  knowledge, 
until  at  length  a  very  favorable  idea  of  the  place 
was  formed.  Bart  knew  that  there  was  a  reg- 
ular overseer,  or  governor,  or  superintendent  of  the 
island,  placed  there  by  the  Nova  Scotia  govern- 
ment. Bruce  knew  that  a  vessel  was  sent  there 
four  times  a  year  to  convey  supplies,  and  to  take 
away  any  shipwrecked  people  who  might  be  there. 
Arthur  knew  that  there  were  huts,  built  for  the 
purposes  of  refuge,  in  diflferent  parts  of  the  island. 
Tom  was  sure  that  a  landing  could  be  made  in  ordi- 
nary weather,  without  much  trouble ;  and  Phil  was 
eloquent  on  the  subject  of  the  ponies  which  live  and 
thrive  on  the  island,  constituting  a  peculiar  breed. 


DRIFTING. 


29 


well  known  in  Nova  Scotia,  where  a  batch  of  Sa- 
ble Island  ponies  are  brought  every  year,  sold  at 
auction,  and  dispersed  through  the  country.  The 
result  of  this  interchange  of  ideas  was,  that  the 
boys  at  length  began  to  look  upon  Sable  Island  as 
rather  a  desirable  place,  and  to  feel  impatient  for 
the  time  to  come  when  they  might  drift  near 
enough  to  make  a  landing. 

But  this  was  a  thing  for  which  they  had  to  wait. 
The  Antelope  was  certainly  drifting;  yet  her 
progress  was  slow,  and  there  was  no  way  of  has- 
tening it.  For  hour  after  hour  they  watched  the 
flag-staff,  and  the  low  line  of  l^'.nd  away  on  the  ho- 
rizon, without  finding  themselves  near  enough  to 
tiiink  of  going  ashore.  By  the  shifting  and  chan- 
ging position  of  the  flag-staff,  they  knew  that  they 
were  drifting  past  it ;  and  yet  there  was  no  way 
by  which  they  could  prevent  this.  In  the  first 
moments  of  their  panic,  the  possibility  of  drifting 
clear  of  Sable  Island  would  have  seemed  most 
welcome  to  all  of  them ;  but  now  that  they  had 
formed  tlie  plan  of  landing  ther),  such  a  prospect 
seemed  not  at  all  desirable  ;  ard  the  slow  drift  of 
the  schooner,  while  it  baffled  their  hopes,  filled 
them  all  with  impatience. 

In  this  way  the  hours  of  the  day  passed  away. 
It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  v;hen 
they  first  saw  Sable  Island.  The  hours  went  by, 
and  sunset  came  ;  still  they  were  not  near  enough. 
Night  was  impending,  yet  the  weather   was  too 


30 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


calm  to  allow  of  uneasiness,  and  they  could  only 
hope  that  on  the  following  day  they  might  be  able 
to  make  the  landing  which  they  all  desired  so 
earnestly. 

Passing  the  night  in  the  vicinity  of  such  a  place 
as  Sable  Island  is  what  few  would  choose  for  any 
amount  of  money.  On  this  occasion,  most  fortu- 
nately, the  weather  was  calm.  The  wind  had  died 
away  to  a  gentle  breeze,  and  the  water  was  quite 
smooth.  The  only  motion  experienced  by  those 
on  board  the  Antelope  was  that  long  rise  and  fall 
which  is  always  felt  out  at  sea,  owing  to  the  never- 
ending  undulation  of  the  ocean  waters. 

The  boys  went  below  and  slept.  Captain  Corbet, 
however,  remained  on  deck,  and  kept  his  lonely 
vigil  far  into  the  night.  The  first  mention  of  Sa- 
ble Island  had  produced  upon  him  a  profound 
effect.  His  first  words  exhibited  something  like  a 
panic  terror,  which  might  have  communicated 
itself  to  the  boys,  had  it  not  been  for  Tom's  cheery 
exhortation.  From  that  first  terror  the  captain 
had  managed  to  extricate  himself;  yet  still  there 
remained,  deep  within  his  soul,  the  gloomiest  an- 
ticipations. The  night  was  not  particularly  dark. 
The  sky  was  dotted  with  innumerable  stars ;  yet 
so  low  was  the  island,  and  so  destitute  of  any  con- 
spicuous landmark,  that  it  passed  out  of  view  with 
t>  11  early  twilight ;  nor  was  the  eagle  eye  of  the 
watchful  Corbet  able  to  detect  any  sign. of  the 
vanished  land.     At  length  he  determined  to  guard 


THE  ANCHOR   DROPPED. 


31 


against  the  danger  of  any  further  drifting,  and 
accordingly  proceeded  to  let  fall  the  anchor.  It 
was  about  two  hours  after  midnight  when  this  was? 
done,  and  the  rattle  of  the  chains  awaked  the 
sleepers  below,  and  announced  that  at  last  their 
long  wanderings  were  arrested. 

On  the  following  morning  they, were  all  on  deck 
with  the  dawn  of  day,  and  looking  out  eagerly 
npon  the  waters.  The  sight  which  met  their  eyes 
was  one  which  could  have  given  nothing  like 
pleasure  to  any  others ;  yet  to  them  it  was  indeed 
pleasant,  so  far  as  it  went.  They  saw  rising  out 
of  the  sea  a  low,  sandy  shore,  wliich  extended  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  About  opposite  thorn 
rose  a  flag-staff,  which  they  supposed  to  be  tho 
one  that  they  had  seen  on  the  previous  evening, 
though  there  was  a  difference  of  a  most  important 
character  between  what  they  saw  then  and  now. 
For  here  they  saw  buildings  which  looked  like 
comfortable  residences,  perhaps  the  abode  of  tho 
keeper  of  the  island.  Except  this  house  and  its 
belongings,  nothing  else  was  visible  along  that 
sandy  shore. 

The  Antelope  had  come  to  anchor  in  good  time, 
and  the  shore  was  not  quite  two  miles  away  from 
this  place.  Still,  so  shallow  were  the  waters,  and 
80  treacherous  the  sea  bottom,  that  it  was  not  at 
all  advisable  to  attempt  to  approach  nearer.  If 
they  wished  to  land,  they  would  have  to  do  so  in 
the  boat.     The  boat  flouted  astern,  all  ready,  being 


32 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


no  other  tlian  that  one  which  they  had  saved  from 
tlie  ship  Petrel.     Into  this  they  prepared  to  go. 

For  this  voyage  all  the  boys  volunteered,  and 
Captain  Corbet  also.  Wade  was  to  be  left  aboard 
with  Solomon.  Bart  noticed  that  the  venerable 
African  was  looking  at  the  island  with  a  pensive 
gaze,  and  thought  that  he  saw  disappointment  in 
his  face. 

"  Would  you  like  to  come  ashore,  too,  Solomon  ?  " 
he  asked,  kindly. 

Solomon  shook  his  head. 

"  Darsn't,"  said  he.    **  Darsn't,  no  how." 

"  Pooh,  nonsense !  Why  not  ?  Come  along," 
said  Bart,  who  thought  that  this  was  some  of  Sol- 
omon's superstitious  fancies  which  were  now  af- 
fecting him. 

"  Darsn't,"  said  Solomon,  again.  "  Couldn't 
ebber  leave  it  agin.  An  don  you  go  an  try  to 
'suade  dis  yer  ole  man,  Mas'r  Bart,  if  you  don  want 
to  lose  him.  Tell  you  what  —  dat  ar  island's  too 
safe ;  an  ef  I  foun  myself  dar,  I  wouldn't  ebber 
leave  it." 

"  Safe  ?    What  from  ?  "  asked  Bart. 

Solomon  looked  all  around  with  the  glance  of 
one  who  fears  pursuit  and  capture  by  some  myste- 
rious enemy. 

"  De  ole  c  jmplaint,"  said  he  at  last,  with  a  groan. 

"  What,  rheumatism  ?  "  asked  Bart,  innocently. 

"  No,  sah,"  said  Solomon.  "  It's  Broom-atiz —  an 
acute  Broomatiz  too  —  what  I  cotches  from  do  ole 


>im 


THE  CONFIDENCES  OP  SOLOMON. 


33 


woman  whenebber  she  finds  a  broomHtick  handy. 
It  generally  attacks  me  over  do  back  and  shoul- 
ders. An  what's  wuas,  dar  ain't  a  medicine,  or  a 
liniment,  or  a  wash,  or  a  poultice,  dat  does  a  mite 
ob  good.  De  only  cure  is  for  me  to  go  an  hunt 
up  some  desert  island  in  de  middle  ob  de  ocean, 
an  habit  it  for  do  ress  ob  my  days ;  an  so,  ef  I  was 
to  go  shore  dar,  I  might  hide,  an  nebber  come 
back.  Too  great  'tractium ;  couldn't  resist  it. 
Safe  -^ar  forebbermo  from  dat  ar  ole  woman  ;  safe 
an  free  ;  no  more  knocks  an  bruises  ;  no  more  ter- 
ror. 0,  Mas'r  Bart,  p'raps,  after  all,  dis  here  ole 
man  better  go  asho  dar,  an  hab  peace." 

"  Nonsense,  Solomon,"  said  Bart,  who  was  as- 
tonished at  learning  the  real  cause  of  Solomon's 
strange  fancy  for  Sable  Island.  *'  Nonsense.  Don't 
get  that  notion  into  your  head.  Your  wife  '11 
never  find  you.  You  come  to  Grand  Pr^,  and 
Dr.  Porter  will  protect  you." 

"  Dat  ar  place  is  de  berry  place  whar  I  kin  neb- 
ber be  safe.  She's  dar  now,  a  waitin,  an  a  watch- 
in,  an  a  waitin  for  me.  I  know  it.  I  feel  it  in 
my  ole  bones.  Doy  allers  aches  when  I  think  ob 
her.  Ebery  mile  we  go  brings  me  nearer  to  her 
broom-handle ;  an  de  longer  I  stay  away,  de  wuss 
I'm  goiu  to  cotch  it.  So,  p'raps,  Mas'r  Bart,  I'd 
better  go  asho  on  Sable  Island." 

The  idea  seemed  to  have  taken  full  possession 
of  Solomon's  mind,  and  to  such  au  extent,  that 
Burt  found  all  efforts  to  banii»h  it  utterly  uselubs. 
3 


34 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


Ho  therefore  gave  it  up,  and  concluded,  under 
the  circumstances,  that  it  was  better  lor  Solomon 
to  remain  on  board. 

The  boat  was  now  ready.  The  boys  and  Captain 
Corbet  were  calling  for  Burt  to  hurry  up.  Bart 
got  on  board,  and  they  pulled  away.  It  was  a  long 
pull ;  but  the  water  was  smooth,  and  they  made 
good  progress.  At  length  the  boat  touched  the 
shore,  and  they  all  leaped  out  upon  the  sand. 


INHABITANTS  OF  SABLE  ISLAND. 


85 


III. 

Landing.  —  A  friendly  Reception,  and  a  bounteous 
Repast.  —  Sable  Island.  —  The  strange  Soil.  — 
The  sandy  Ridge.  —  The  Lake.  —  The  long  Walk. 
—  A  wonderful  Sight.  —  The  ancient  Ship.  —  T/ie 
Governor's  Story.  — A  tremendous  Storm  and  its 
Effects.  —  A  great  Surprise  —  Examination  and 
Exhumation.  —  Disappointment.  —  Theories.  — 
The  Oovernor  rides  a  Hobby-horse. 


►EIEN  they  stepped  ashore  upon  Sable  Island 
they  found  themselves  in  the  presence  of 
the  whole  of  the  population.  This  popu- 
lation amounted  to  about  eleven  souls ;  namely, 
the  governor,  or  keeper,  or  guardian,  or  regent,  or 
whatever  else  he  may  be  called,  of  the  island,  six 
of  the  members  of  his  family  of  various  ages,  and 
four  able-bodied  men.  The  governor  was  a  bluff, 
broad-shouldered,  red-faced,  bearded  personage, 
with  a  bright  gray  eye  and  a  cheery  smile.  He 
had  a  roefing-jacket  and  "  sou'-wester  "  hat ;  while 
his  four  satellites  were  dressed,  two  in  reefers,  and 
two  in  Guernsey  jackets.  The  intercourse  of  the 
Sable  Islanders  with  the  outside  world  was  very 


86 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


infrequent,  and  usually  very  exciting,  so  that  on 
the  present  occasion  they  had  turned  out  in  force 
to  greet  tl»eir  extraordinary  visitors. 

Not  far  off"  was  a  substantial  ami  comfortable 
looking  house,  that  seemed  well  adapted  to  with- 
stand the  Atlantic  storms,  and  shelter  its  inmates 
from  the  severity  of  the  weather.  A  few  small 
out-houses  adjoined  it,  and  in  the  distance,  where 
the  ground  rose  a  little  higher  than  usual,  was  the 
eignal-staif  already  mentioned. 

Whatever  doubts  the  visitors  might  have  had 
about  the  reception  which  they  would  meet  with 
were  dispelled  at  once  and  utterly  by  the  first 
words  of  the  potentate,  whom  1  will  call  the  "  Gov- 
ernor." Without  any  remark  as  to  the  suddenness 
of  their  appearance,  and  without  any  question 
about  their  errand,  he  at  once  shook  hands  with 
them  all  round,  and  invited  them  to  the  house  to 
breakfast,  which,  he  informed  them,  was  all  ready, 
and  waiting  for  them.  A  long  and  dreary  voyage 
and  monotonous  sea  life  made  a  meal  on  shore  seem 
attractive  beyond  expression  to  all  of  them,  and 
the  kind  invitation  was  most  thankfully  accepted. 
Whereupon  the  governor  led  the  way  to  the  house 
above-mentioned,  and  ushered  his  visitors  into  a 
large  but  low  room,  where  a  long  table  was  spread, 
and  lay  invitingly  before  their  eyes.  Here  they 
seated  themselves,  and  partook  of  the  governor's 
Sable  Island  hospitality,  in  the  shape  of  fragrant 
coffee,  and  hot  rolls,  and  baked  potatoes,  and  corned 


;  .*'.* 


THE  GOVERNOR. 


37 


beef  and  tongue,  with  otlier  articles  too  numerous 
to  mention ;  all  of  which  served  to  eftace  from  the 
minds  of  tlie  guests  the  memory  of  late  hardships, 
an  1  to  diffuse  among  them  a  general  feeling  of 
peace  and  calm,  of  cheerfulness  and  content. 

In  the  course  of  this  repast  the  visitors  made 
known  to  the  governor  their  whole  story,  and  that 
story  was  heard  by  him  with  an  astonishment 
which  he  did  not  attempt  to  conceal.  The  fact 
that  they  should  have  been  drifting  blindly  about 
without  finding  any  place  of  refuge,  and  that  they 
had  finally  been  forced  to  seek  for  help  from  him  in 
this  place,  of  all  others,  was  so  overwhelming, 
that  at  first  he  seemed  unable  to  believe  it;  and 
even  after  he  had  been  compelled  to  yield  his  faith, 
his  reason  remained  unsatisfied.  The  thing  was 
true,  yet  unintelligible,  and  to  his  mind  simply  pre- 
posterous. Yet  there  was  the  fact,  and  here  were 
the  factors,  that  went  to  constitute  that  fact.  The 
governor  was  dumfounded.  Captain  Corbet  was 
clearly  beyond  him. 

At  length,  like  a  wise  man,  he  gave  up  the  at- 
tempt to  fathom  what  was  inscrutable,  and  devoted 
himself  rather  to  the  practical  duties  of  hospitality, 
lie  promised  to  let  Captain  Corbet  have  what  ho 
wanted,  and  also  he  offered  to  do  the  honors  of 
Sable  Island,  and  show  the  boys  all  that  was  worth 
seeing. 

The  governor  was  thus  not  only  hospitable,  but 
also  very  communicative.     He  told  them  all  about 


38 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


It   > 


Sable  Island,  and  gave  them  much  information,  in 
addition  to  wliat  they  had  already  learned  about 
this  singular  place. 

The  little  colony  was  placed  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  aid  and  comfort  to  any  who  might 
be  unfortunate  enough  to  be  shipwrecked  here. 
Full  supplies  of  all  sorts  of  stores  and  provisions 
were  placed  on  the  island  under  his  care.  In 
addition  to  the  buildings  at  this  place  there  were 
two  other  lionses  of  refuge,  fartlier  away  towards 
the  east,  and  also  two  other  signal-staffs.  In  tlie 
otiier  houses  of  refuge  no  one  lived,  but  supplies 
of  food  and  fuel  were  laitl  up  there  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  might  need  them.  There  was  no 
lighthouse,  because  it  was  believed  that  a  light 
might  have  a  tendency  to  mislead,  and  because  all 
seamen  sought  to  keep  as  lar  away  as  possible  from 
the  island. 

Sable  Island,  in  fact,  is  nothing  more  than  the 
ridge  of  a  vast  sand-bank,  which  rises  from  the 
ocean  depths,  and  at  this  place  emerges  for  a  few 
feet  above  its  surface.  The  sandy  ridge  is  over 
twenty  miles  in  length,  and  is  curved  in  its  form. 
The  shallows  at  either  extremity  also  follow  tliis 
curved  line,  so  that  the  whole  extent  of  this  place 
of  danger,  including  the  shoals  as  well  as  the 
island,  is  not  much  less  than  fifty  miles.  Its  con- 
cave side  is  to^vards  the  north-west,  and  ships 
on  that  side  in  stormy  weather  are  in  great  peril 
whenever  they  come  within  twenty  miles  of  the 


THE  governor's   ACCOUNT. 


39 


place.  As  a  consequence,  many  wrecks  occur, 
some  of  which  are  known,  while  more  are  never 
heard  of,  and  can  only  be  conjectured.  Caught,  so 
to  speak,  between  the  long-extended  arms  of  this 
treacherous  sand-bank,  they  are  swept  helplessly 
to  destruction  among  the  waters  that  rage  over 
these  far-reaching  alioals. 

Once  every  three  months  a  vessel  comes  here 
from  Nova  Scotia  to  bring  supplies  and  to  take 
off  any  who  may  have  been  cast  ashore.  Tlie  land- 
ing is  often  difficult,  and  sometimes  impossible,  so 
that  the  vessel  has  to  keep  away  for  a  long  time 
before  daring  to  venture  near. 

The  governor  informed  them  that  life  here,  on 
the  whole,  was  not  unpleasant,  but  that  in  winter 
there  were  times  when  it  was  impossible  to  ven- 
ture forth  out  of  the  house.  The  cold  was  never 
excessive,  for  the  surrounding  waters  made  the 
temperature  milder  than  that  of  the  adjacent  main 
land ;  but  the  storms  were  terrific,  and  sometimes 
the  sea  seemed  to  make  a  clean  sweep  over  the 
island,  and  all  the  air  was  filled  with  clouds  of 
driving  spray.  After  such  storms  as  these  it  was 
always  their  practice  to  explore  the  island  in  search 
of  shipwrecks.  Sometimes  they  found  human  be- 
ings, who  had  been  cast  ashore,  huddled  for  shelter 
behind  hillocks,  or  in  the  other  houses  of  refuge 
and  brought  them  back ;  but  more  frequently  the 
only  result  of  their  search  was  the  sight  of  some 
fragments  of  a  lost  ship  which  the  furious  waves 


T 


^^ 


40 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


had  washed  ashore ;  or,  worse  still,  the  lifeless 
bodies  of  those  who  had  perislied  amid  the  raging 
waters.  These  last  were  always  conveyed  to  the 
burial-ground  of  the  island,  where  they  were  com- 
mitted to  the  grave  with  solemn  ceremony,  the 
governor  reading  over  them  the  burial  service  of 
the  church. 

This  information  and  much  more  was  communi- 
cated at  breakfast ;  and  after  the  repast  was  over, 
the  governor  proceeded  to  fulfil  his  promise  by 
taking  the  boys  out  to  show  them  Sable  Island. 

It  did  not  appear  as  though  there  could  be  much 
to  see.  On  leaving  the  house  there  spread  away 
a  sandy  waste,  whereon  grew  some  coarse  grass. 
This  grass  grew  not  close  enough  to  form  anything 
like  turf,  yet  in  sufficient  abundance  to  afford  pas- 
turage to  herds  of  wild  ponies  which  belong  to  the 
island.  These  ponies  were  put  here  many  years 
ago,  and  in  successive  generations  have  become 
developed  into  a  wonderfully  intelligent  and  hardy 
little  animal,  ugly,  woolly,  yet  strong,  and  capable 
of  feeding  on  anything.  They  endure  the  severity 
of  the  winter  season  here  without  any  shelter  what- 
ever; and  when  snow  is  on  the  ground  they  get  at 
the  grassunderneath  with  the  same  ready  inssiiiict 
that  is  exhibited  by  the  buffaloes  on  the  western 
prairies. 

After  walking  some  distance,  the}'  reached  the 
crest  of  the  sand  ridge,  and  from  this  place  they 
saw  a  long,  narrow  sheet  of  water.     This  they  were 


is 


DESCRIPTION  OP  THE  ISLAND. 


41 


informed  was  a  lake,  which  took  up  half  of  tho 
length  of  the  island,  being  more  than  ten  miles  in 
length ;  the  formation  of  tlie  island  being  what 
may  be  called  a  long,  irregular  oval,  enclosing  this 
sheet  of  water.  The  eastern  half  of  the  island  is, 
however,  a  solid,  continuous  sand-bank,  and  tho 
lake  lies  rather  towards  its  western  end. 

It  is  the  eastern  end  which  is  most  affected  by 
storms.  Here  the  herbage  is  scanter,  and  the  hil- 
locks more  frequent ;  here,  too,  the  sand  shifts  and 
changes  with  every  storm.  The  governor  informed 
them  that  after  every  very  great  storm,  important 
changes  might  be  seen  in  this  direction,  and  men- 
tioned that  one  of  a  very  interesting  nature  had 
occurred  a  few  months  previously  in  a  tremendous 
equinoctial  gale,  which  had  been  by  far  the  wildest 
that  had  taken  place  since  his  residence  on  tho 
island.  This  he  promised  to  show  them,  and  led 
the  way  to  the  place  where  the  object  to  which  he 
referred  might  be  seen. 

They  walked  about  four  miles,  and  at  length 
reached  a  pond  which  was  about  in  the  middle  of 
the  island,  and  at  an  equal  distance  from  either 
.^.ide.  Here  a  black  object  arose,  which  the  boys  at 
nrst  took  for  some  sort  of  a  rock.  As  they  drew 
nearer,  it  looked  more  like  a  hut;  but  finally,  on 
coining  close,  they  saw,  to  their  utter  amazement, 
that  it  was  nothing  else  than  the  hull  of  a  ship. 

That  ship  had  a  most  singular  form.  The  tim- 
bers had  been  greatly  broken,  and  the  decks  had 


42 


THE   TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


i! 


vanished  long  ago ;  but  the  outlines  were  visible 
by  the  broken  beams^  and  it  seemed  to  have  been 
about  five  or  six  hundred  tons  burden.  But  what 
most  impressed  them  was  the  quaint  and  singular 
appearance  of  the  stern.  This  part  had  been  less 
injured  than  the  rest.  '  It  rose  to  a  height  of  over 
sixteen  feet,  and  much  more  was  still  buried  in  the 
sand.  The  uppermost  portion  was  battered  and 
broken;  bi  !  'x^'^eath  this  there  was  a  second  deck 
and  a  third.  .  een  this  second  deck  and  the  third 

was  what  might  once  have  been  a  cabin,  and  the 
broken  port-holes  astern,  that  once  gave  light,  were 
still  plainly  visible.  The  great  height  of  the  stern 
and  its  division  into  successive  stories,  reminded 
the  boys  of  the  pictures  which  they  had  seen  of 
the  ships  of  three  centuries  back,  and  filled  their 
minds  with  intense  excitement. 

"  This  ship,"  said  the  governor, "  was  uncovered 
by  .the  great  gale  of  last  March.  Until  that  time 
it  had  been  completely  covered  by  the  sand,  which 
formed  around  it  the  biggest  hillock  on  the  island. 
I  never  had  any  idea  that  inside  of  that  hillock 
there  was  anything  of  this  sort.  I  attributed  the 
formation  of  the  hillock  to  the  accidental  concur- 
rence of  the  winds  which  had  gathered  the  sand  up 
here.  You  would  scarcely  believe  how  large  it 
was.  Why,  for  hundreds  of  yards  all  aronnd  here 
that  hill  extended,  and  it  was  over  thirty  feet 
higher  than  where  we  now  are. 

"  Well,  a  few  days  after  the  great  gale,  I  came 


THE   governor's  ACCOUNT. 


43 


out  in  this  direction,  and  noticed,  to  my  amazement, 
that  tlie  hill  was  gone  !  That  didn't  surprise  me 
much,  for  I  had  known  other  such  changes  to  take 
place  in  every  storm,  though  I  had  never  known 
any  on  such  an  extensive  scale.  But  when  I  came 
nearer,  and  saw  this  old  hull,  you  may  depend  upon 
it  I  was  astonished  enough.  Here  it  was,  —  all 
laid  bare,  all  the  sand  blown  away  just  as  you  see 
it  now,  except  the  cabin  there,  which  I  proceeded 
to  clear  out  as  soon  as  I  could. 

"  Now,  the  first  glance  showed  me  that  this  old 
hull  must  be  at  least  a  couple  of  hundred  years 
old ;  and  I  took  it  for  one  of  the  old  French  or 
English  ships  that  had  been  wrecked  here  in  tho 
early  days  of  American  colonization.  I  accounted  for 
its  position  so  far  inland  in  the  easiest  manner  in  tho 
world.  The  fact  is,  this  whole  island  is  all  the  time 
shifting  and  changing.  I  don't  believe  it  is  in  tho 
least  like  what  it  used  to  be.  When  this  ship  got 
here,  I  believe  this  was  a  shoal  where  she  drove 
ashore  in  some  tremendous  gale,  and  was  soon 
covered  up  with  sand.  Gradually  the  sand  gathered 
about  her  more  and  more,  and  the  island  changed 
its  shape,  and  tiie  shoal  rose  above  the  water,  till 
at  last  this  place  became  the  middle  of  the  island. 
Two  or  three  hundred  years  from  this,  I  dare  say 
there'll  be  miles  of  land  away  off  there  to  tho 
north,  all  along,  and  this'U  be  considered  the  South 
Shore." 

"  But  didn't  you  find  anything  aboard  of  her?" 
asked  Bart,  in  eager  curiosity. 


44 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


! 


I    ' 


"  Well,  that  was  the  vory  first  thing  I  thought 
of.  This  old-fashioned  ship  reminded  me  of  the 
Spanish  galleons  that  used  to  take  cargoes  of  gold 
and  silver  across  the  water,  and  I  was  full  of  the 
idea  that  there  might  be  some  immense  treasure 
still  on  board.  The  sand  had  preserved  the  wood 
from  decay,  and  gold  was  still  more  likely  to  be  pre- 
served. So  I  hurried  back  at  once,  and  got  a  shovel, 
and  came  here  alone.  I  cleared  out  the  whole 
cabin  there  that  day,  and  to  my  deep  disappoint- 
ment, I  found  not  one  single  thing.  I  found  it,  in 
fact,  just  as  you  see  *it  now  • —  completely  cleaned 
out  by  the  waves.  Everything  had  gone,  except  the 
timbers  and  some  of  the  deck  work.  Doors  had 
been  torn  off,  and  the  whole  front  of  the  quarter- 
deck had  been  forced  away.  There  were  no  mova- 
bles of  any  kind,  nothing,  in  fact,  except  those 
beams  and  planks,  that  had  been  strong  enough  to 
resist  the  fury  of  the  waves. 

"  I  went  back  that  day  in  deep  disappointment, 
and  gave  up  all  hope  of  finding  anything.  On  the 
following  day  I  called  all  hands  together,  and 
we  all  came  here  to  examine  the  hull.  We  worked 
for  about  a  week,  and  dug  out  most  of  the  sand, — 
it's  all  back  again,  though,  you  see,  —  and  in  other 
places  we  thrust  in  poles  to  see  if  anything  was 
there.  We  found  nothing,  however;  no  gold  or 
silver,  no  precious  stones ;  nothing,  in  fact,  but  a 
rusty,  demoralized,  and  depraved  old  cannon,  that 
looked  as  though  it  had  been  cast  for  the  Spanish 


THE  governor's  ACCOUNT. 


45 


Armada.    The  old  piece  is  over  there  in  the  house, 
preserved  as  a  curiosity." 

"  And  so  you  didn't  get  anything?"  said  Bruce, 
in  a  tone  of  disappointment. 

"  Not  a  thing,  except  the  cannon,"  said  tlie 
governor ;  "  and  I  leave  you  to  imagine  my  disap- 
pointment. I  was  at  first  sure  of  making  my  for- 
tune, retiring  from  the  island  at  once,  and  going 
home  to  live  on  my  wealth.  But  I'm  afraid  1  shall 
have  to  postpone  that  for  a  long  time." 

"  Do  you  suppose  there  ever  was  any  treasure 
on  board  of  her?"  asked  Arthur. 

"  Well,  yes.  I  not  only  suppose  so,  but  I  almost 
feel  certain  that  at  one  time  there  was  a  good  tleal 
of  gold  and  silver  aboard  of  this  very  ship.  Ivo 
examined  her,  and  studied  her  very  attentively. 
Look  at  her  now  for  yourselves.  Notice  how  high 
that  stern  is.  I  don't  think  those  high  sterns  were 
used  later  than  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth.  It  was 
in  just  such  ships  as  this  that  the  Spaniards  brought 
tht'ir  gold  and  silver  across  the  water.  In  fact, 
boys,  I  believe  that  this  is  neither  more  nor  less 
than  a  Spanish  galleon.  Believe  ?  in  fact  I  know  it. 
For  on  that  old  gun  that  I  spoke  of,  there  is  a  cast 
that's  precisely  the  same  that  you  see  on  the  old 
Spanish  dollars  —  the  arras  of  Spain. 

"  Now  I'll  tell  you  what  the  idea  is  that  I've 
formed  about  this  ship.  You  know  that  in  the 
days  of  Elizabeth  the  Spanish  Main  swarmed  with 
buccaneers,  who  seized  the  treasure  ships  whenever 


46 


THE  TKEASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


they  could.  Among  these,  English  sailors  were 
the  worst.  You  know  that  well  enough.  Well, 
my  idea  is,  that  some  of  these  buccaneers  seized 
this  very  galleon,  plundered  her  of  everything, 
and  let  her  go.  I  don't  think  that  a  Spanish  ship 
would  have  been  likely  to  be  driven  up  hero 
from  the  West  Indies,  or  to  drift  here.  I  think  it 
most  likely  that  she  was  seized  and  brought  here." 

"  But  perhaps,"  said  Bart,  "  the  buccaneers  were 
lost  in  her." 

"  It's  possible,  certainly,"  said  the  governor,  *'  but 
I  don't  quite  think  it.  I  think,  if  there  had  been  any 
gold  left,  some  of  it  would  have  been  left  herea- 
bouts in  the  hull.  No.  I  think  it  most  likely  that 
she  has  been  plundered  by  the  buccaneers,  who 
then  let  her  go,  —  for  a  big,  clumsy  ship,  like  this, 
was  no  good  for  their  purposes.  They  may  have 
let  the  Spanish  sailors  go  in  her,  —  not  unlikely; 
and  if  so,  the  poor  wretches  left  their  bones  in 
these  sands." 

"  But  what  would  buccaneers  come  here  for  ?  " 
asked  Bart,  — "  so  far  to  the  north.  I  thought 
they  all  lived  around  the  Spanish  Main." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  governor,  "  that  brings  up  the 
very  point  that  proves  my  whole  theory." 


THE   BUCCANEERS. 


47 


IV. 


The  Buccaneers.  —  The  Traditions  of  Mahone  Bay. 
—  The  Spanish  Galleon.  —  TJie  buried  Treasure 
of  the  Buccaneers.  —  The  Plunder  of  the  Spanish 
Main.  —  The  lost  Ship.  —  The  Arms  of  the  royal 
House  of  Spain.  —  Convincing  Proof.  —  Further 
IVanderimjs.  —  Undisciplined  Ponies.  —  A  last 
Farewell.  —  The  Antelope  departs.  —  IVie  Plan  of 
the  Boys.  —  Corbet  grieves,  but  yields.  —  Out  of 
tJie  Beach  of  Danger. 


^OU  must  be  aware,  in  the  first  place,"  said 
the  governor,"  th.at  over  the  whole  Atlantic 
coast  of  Nova  Scotia  there  are  traditions 
of  the  buccaneers.  There  is  one  place,  however, 
where  these  traditions  seem  to  have  a  centre,  and 
that  is  Mahone  Bay.  The  people  there  have  handed 
these  traditions  on  from  father  to  son  ever  since  the 
country  was  settled;  and  the  belief  at  this  time,  is 
as  strong  as  ever,  if  not  stronger.  The  only 
change  that  they  have  made  is  in  the  name.  They 
do  not  speak  of  the  buccaneers  but  of  one  certain 
man,  whose  name  all  over  America  seems  to  have 
lent   itself  to   every  tradition   that  the  past   has 


48 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


handed  down  about  pirates  and  piracy.  This  is 
Captain  Kidd.  So  at  Mahone  Bay  the  traditions 
all  refer  to  hirn. 

"  Now  I  don't  believe  that  these  traditions  origi- 
nated in  nothing,  but  that  they  grew  out  of  actual 
facts.  The  buccaneers,  when  they  infested  the 
Spanish  Main,  needed  some  place  in  which  to 
store  their  plunder.  They  wanted  a  place  which 
was  at  once  safe  from  pursuit,  and  so  remote  that 
the  Spaniards  would  never  think  of  following  them. 
Well,  this  they  could  gain  by  sailing  far  enough  to 
the  north,  and  Nova  Scotia  naturally  seemed  the 
best  stopping-place ;  first,  because  it  seemed  to 
them  like  the  last  point  of  the  coast  of  the  main 
land,  and  secondly,  because  it  was  convenient  for 
a  run  over  to  Europe.  Besides,  Nova  Scotia 
afforded  a  greater  number  of  first-rnte  harbors 
than  could  be  found  in  any  part,  not  only  of 
America,  but  of  the  world.  It  was  therefore  out  of 
the  way  of  pursuit  and  discovery,  and  the  best 
place  that  they  could  wish  to  have. 

"  Well,  now,  among  all  the  harbors  that  line  the 
coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  there  isn't  any  that  can  bo 
compared  to  Mahone  Bay  for  the  purposes  of  the 
buccaneers.  Once  in  it,  and  discovery  or  capture 
is  next  to  impossible.  The  bay  is  spacious  and 
deep,  without  shoals  or  currents,  and,  above  all, 
dotted  with  tiiree  hundred  and  sixty-five  islands  of 
every  sort  and  size.  Among  these  a  hiding-place 
could  be  found,  that  for  safety  and  seclusion  could 


THE   BURIED  TREASURE. 


49 


not  be  equalled  anywhere  else.  And  what  are 
tiio  facts?  Why,  the  tradition  of  the  country 
ever  since  asserts  that  this  very  bay  was  a  chosen 
haunt  of  pirates  in  the  old  piratical  days. 

"  And  what's  more,"  continued  the  governor, 
"this  trarMtion  isn't  vague  and  general,  but  it's 
direct  and  specific.  It  points  to  some  one  place 
there,  —  one  of  those  islands  in  particular  that  is 
distinguished  from  all  the  other  islands.  1  don't 
know  the  name  of  it ;  1  don't  know  that  I  ever 
heard  it ;  but  I  do  know  that  there  is  such  an 
island,  —  one  of  those  three  hundred  and  sixty-five, 
that  is  pointed  out  and  well  known  as  the  place 
frequented  by  the  buccaneers*  Everybody  says, 
that  on  this  island  they  lived,  and  that  in  this 
island,  deep  down,  —  under  the  level  of  the  sea, 
in  fact,  —  the  buccaneers  buried'the  plunder  of  the 
Spanish  Main. 

"  Of  course,  as  1  said,  they  don't  speak  of  the 
buccaneers,  but  of  Captain  Kkld.  They  call  it 
Kidd's  treasure.  But  it's  all  the  same.  The  fact 
remains  whatever  changes  mere  names  may  under- 
go. Now,  mind  you,  I  don't  say  that  there's  any 
treasure  there  now,  —  it  may  have  been  all  dug 
up  by  the  very  men  who  buried  it,  or  by  others 
who  knew  about  it.  It's  a  long  time  since  it  was 
buried,  and  Mahone  Bay  had  no  settlements  for 
generations.  At  the  same  time  it's  quite  probable 
that  it  may   be    there  still;  and  I,  for  my  part, 


50 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


shouldn't  be  a  bit  surprised  to  hear  at  any  time 
that  some  lucky  fellow  has  got  hold  of  it  all." 

"  1  suppose  you  never  went  to  Mabone  Bay  your- 
self," said  Bart. 

"  Well,  no,"  said  the  governor.  "  The  feet  is,  I 
never  thought  much  about  it  until  lately,  after  the 
old  galleon  set  me  speculating  about  it;  and  then  I 
remembered  old  things  that  1  had  heard.  Go  there  ? 
—  O,  no !  —  I'm  too  old.  If  I  were  a  young  man, 
without  a  family,  I'd  make  a  dash  at  it ;  but  now 
it's  impossible.     I'd  have  to  give  up  my  situation. 

0  no !  I  dare  say  somebody '11  make  his  Ibrtuue 
there    one   day ;   but    that'll  never  be  my  luck. 
And  as  for  treasure,  I  believe  that  there's  lots  of 
it  deep  under  these  sands,  all  about,  if  one  o^ 
knew   where  to  dig  —  but  that's  the   difficulty 

"And  so,  you  see,  that's  the  conclusion  I've 
come  to  —  putting  this  and  that  together.  This  is 
a  Spanish  galleon.  Here  she  is,  —  ever  so  far  out 
of  the  course  which  the  treasure  ships  of  the  In- 
dies usually  followed,  —  up  here  in  these  seas,  in 
close  proximity  to  the  most  notorious  haunt  of  the 
old  buccaneers.  Do  you  suppose  they  had  nothing 
to  do  with  this?  Of  course  they  had  —  every- 
thing. In  those  days  no  ship  in  these  waters  could 
have  escaped  their  eyes,  much  less  a  big  Spanish 
ship  full  of  gold  and  silver.     Mark  my  words.    As 

1  said  at  first,  they  captured  her,  brought  her 
here,  unloaded  her,  buried  her  gold  and  her  silver 
in  Mahone  Bay  somewhere  —  on  that  island  that  I 
spoke  of,  and  then  let  the  ship  go." 


THE  PLUNDER  OP  THE  SPANISH  MAIN. 


51 


Tliis  notion  of  the  governor's  might  have  been 
critically  examined  and  utterly  disproved  by  a 
conjpetcnt  person ;  but  for  sucii  a  task  the  boya 
were  too  ignorant  and  inexperienced.  The  firm 
belief  of  tiie  governor  in  his  extraordinary  theory 
afFt'cted  everyone  of  the  boys  moat  profoundly; 
nor  could  any  of  them  see  a  reason  why  it  should 
not  1)0  perfectly  true  in  every  particular.  Every 
word  that  he  had  uttered  sank  deep  into  their  souls, 
and  everv  one  of  them  felt  himself  filled  with  an 
irresistible  desire  to  hurry  off  at  once  to  Mahono 
Bav,  and  seek  for  the  island  whore  the  buccaneers 
had  buried  the  plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main 

On  the  present  occasion  they  poured  upon  him  a 
torrent  of  questions  of  all  sorts,  every  one  oi  wnich 
showed  how  attentively  they  had  listened  to  his 
story,  and  how  eager  the  curiosity  was  which  they 
all  felt.  The  governor  answered  everything  with 
the  minuteness  and  the  exactness  that  characterize 
a  man  when  he  finds  that  his  own  particular  hobby 
meets  with  respectful  appreciation  from  others. 

At  length  they  turned  back  to  the  house,  talk* 
ing  all  the  way  about  Spanish  galleons,  treasun* 
ships,  the  buccaneers,  gold,  silver,  diamonds,  th« 
Spanish  Main,  and  the  various  haunts  of  the  old 
marauders  —  subjects  fascinating  above  all  ttiings 
to  these  boys,  as  they  are  to  all  boys,  so  fascinating' 
indeed,  that  they  Were  sorry  when  they  came 
back  to  the  house.  Here,  however,  another  pleas- 
ure awaited  them,  for  the  governor  showed  them 


■' 


52 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


the  very  gun  that  be  had  found  on  the  old  ship, 
and  pointed  with  respectful  pride  to  certain  marks 
upon  it.  The  gun  was  terribly  rusty,  and  the 
marks  had  been  so  effaced  that  they  were  capable 
of  being  interpreted  to  mean  anything;  but  the 
governor  assured  them  that  they  were  the  es- 
cutcheon of  the  Royal  House  of  Spain,  and  the 
boys  believed  it  implicitly.  Other  and  more  criti- 
cal inquirers  would  have  asked  what  the  governor 
meant  by  the  arms  of  the  Royal  House  of  Spain, 
and  inquired  whether  he  meant  the  house  of  Arra- 
gon,  or  of  Hapsburg,  or  of  Bourbon.  To  the  boys, 
however,  such  a  question  never  occurred. 

The  water  was  still  calm ;  but  Sable  Island  is  a 
place  where  no  one  can  stay  long.  The  governor 
therefore  hurried  up  the  venerable  Corbet,  —  who, 
on  this  as  on  other  occasions,  seemed  to  give  indi- 
cations of  a  dilatory  disposition,  —  and  furnished 
him  with  some  sails,  which,  with  a  little  alteration^ 
would  suit  the  Antelope  very  well.  Upon  this 
Corbet  returned  in  his  boat  to  the  schooner,  car- 
rying the  sails  with  him,  and  one  of  the  Sable 
Islanders  to  help  him  rig  the  sails.  The  boys  were 
to  be  put  aboard  by  the  governor  later  in  the  day. 

They  then  went  off  with  their  genial  host  to 
other  parts  of  the  island.  This  journey  was  made 
on  ponies  which  had  been  broken,  yet  not  so  much 
but  that  they  retained  a  very  fair  share  of  their 
original  wildness.  The  riding  was  not  very  con- 
ducive to  speed.     All  of  the  boys  were  thrown,  but 


'J 


FURTHER  WANDERINGS. 


53 


none  of  them  were  hurt  on  the  sandy  soil,  and  the 
governor  made  himself  merry  over  their  horseman- 
ship.  As  to  scenery,  there  was  nothing  different 
iVom  what  they  liad  already  encountered,  except 
numerous  wild  fowl  that  frequented  the  lake. 

By  the  time  that  they  returned  they  saw  the 
Antelope  with  her  sails  filled,  and  a  boat  drawn  up 
on  the  beach  to  convey  them  aboard.  The  gov- 
ernor shook  hands  with  them  all  most  heartily  on 
bidding  them  good  by. 

"  Good  by,  my  lads,"  said  he.  "  I'm  the  most  un- 
happy of  men  in  one  way.  Although  I  keep  ship- 
wrecked guests  an  immense  time,  I  dare  not  bo 
hospitable  to  visitors.  I  would  press  you  to  stay 
all  night,  but  I'm  afraid  to.  If  you  had  a  better 
craft,  and  a  better  captain,  I  might  venture  to  do 
it;  but  even  then,  it  wouldn't  be  safe.  As  it  is,  it 
would  be  madness,  and  my  only  parting  word  to 
you  is,  to  hurry  awny  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  get 
away  as  far  as  possible  from  Sable  Island," 

The  boys  got  on  board  ;  the  sturdy  Sable  Island- 
ers bent  to  their  oars,  and  soon  their  vigorous 
strokes  drove  the  boat  tar  out  to  sea.  But  all  the 
way  the  boys  could  see  the  little  group  on  the 
shore  watching  them.  On  reaching  the  Antelope, 
they  found  all  ready  for  a  start.  The  S  ,ble  Islander 
who  had  accompanied  Captain  Corbet  returned 
with  his  companions ;  and  as  the  Antelope  moved 
away,  the  flag  of  the  B.  O.  W.  C.  went  up  and 
down  rapidly,  and  three  ringing  cheers  burst  forth 
frnm  th(»  boys. 


54 


THE  TREi^SURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


I 


I 


So  ended  their  very  remarkable  and  eventful 
visit  to  the  most  fearfnl  and  dangerous  of  all  the 
islands  of  the  sea.  Few,  indeed,  are  the  vessels 
which,  having  drifted  upon  this  perilous  coast,  are 
able  to  leave  it  so  safely,  and  so  pleasantly.  For 
Sable  Island  generally  surrounds  itself  with  de- 
stroying terrors  for  those  who  chance  upon  it ;  and 
more  than  Anticosti  more,  indeed,  than  any  other 
place,  deserves  the  dread  name  of —  "  the  grave- 
yard of  ships  and  sailors." 

In  turning  away,  there  was  now  but  one  thought 
in  the  minds  of  all  the  boys,  and  that  was,  of 
course,  Mahone  Bay.  In  any  case  they  would  sail 
straight  for  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia ;  and  Mahone 
Bay  was  the  only  place  at  which  they  were  will- 
ing to  land.  There  was  now  no  further  difficulty 
about  making  their  way,  for  the  governor,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  sails,  had  furnished  a  compass  also. 

"  The  Nova  Scotia  coast,"  said  Captain  Corbet, 
"air  doo  north  by  wesft, an  it  ain't  nioro'n  a  hundred 
mile.  The  wind's  fair,  an  we  ought  to  sight  it  be- 
fore —  well,  before  three  days." 

"  0,  we'll  do  it  long  before  that,"  said  Bart,  "  if 
this  wind  lasts.  But  why  can't  you  head  due 
west  for  Mahone  Bay  ?  " 

"  Wal,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  "  there  air  severial 
reasons  why :  fust  an  furmost,  because,  ef  1  sail 
west,  I'll  have  to  coast  along  this  here  shore,  which 
is  the  very  thing  I  don't  want  to  do.  I  want  to 
get  as  far  away  as  I  kin,  an  as  quick  as  1  kin. 


CAPTAIN   CORBET'S   GRIEF. 


55 


Second,  I  don't  want  to  go  in  the  dark  no  longer. 
I  want  to  sight  the  Nova  Scotia  coast,  and  then  to 
keep  it  in  sight  till  I"  die.  Never  agin  do  I  want 
to  git  out  o'  aiglit  o'  Nova  Scotia.  Then,  third,  I 
don't  want  to  stop  at  no  more  places,  but  to  con- 
tennew  along  my  windin  way,  till  I  git  to  Minas. 
An,  fourthly,  I  don't  want  to  go  to  Mahoue  Bay  at 
all." 

"  Not  go  to  Mahone  Bay  !  "  cried  Bruce.  "  Why 
not?  Why,  we  want  to  hunt  up  that  island  that 
the  buccaneers  buried  the  treasure  in." 

Captain  Corbet  looked  at  all  tlie  boys  with  an 
expression  of  solemn  regret,  mingled  witli  mild  re- 
proach upon  his  venerable  face.  Then  shaking  his 
head  mournfully,  ho  slowly  ejaculated, — 

"  0,  boys,  boys  !  " 

"  Well,  why  not?"  asked  Tom. 

"  0,  boys  !  0,  boys  I  "  continued  he  captain,  in 
a  dismal  tone.  "An  has  it  come  to  this?  Air  this 
the  end  an  the  melankilly  result  of  th<^  bitter 
teachins  that  you've  ben  an  had  by  sea  an  land  ?  " 

"Bitter  teachings?"  said  Bart;  "what  bitter 
teachings  ?  " 

"  The  teachins,  an  the  warqins,  an  the  experi- 
ences," said  Captain  Corbet,  "  that's  ben  a  heaped 
upon  you's  all.  Why  this  thirst  for  perishable 
treasures?  Why  this  yearnin  for  money-holes? 
Hain't  you  had  enough  of  treasures,  and  dreams  of 
wealth  ?  Look  at  me,  boys.  Behold  this  wretched 
victuim  of  Avarice.    Think   how  the   demon  of 


66 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


i 


Avarice  got  possession  of  me  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  an  drawed  me  away  captive  to  his 
chariot  wheels.  Think  how  he  tempted  me  to  de- 
sert you,  an  leave  you  in  tremenjous  danger.  Bar 
all  this  in  mind,  I  humbly  beg,  and  then  desist. 
Say  no  more.  Temp  me  not.  Leave  the  aged 
Corbet  be.  Don't  inflame  this  beaten  heart.  Be 
wise  in  time.  You'll  only  suffer  for  it  ef  you  don't. 
That  thar  treasure  is  onhallowed.  Didn't  we  try 
diggin  for  buried  treasures  once  afore?  Answer 
me  that.  We  did.  An  what  was  the  result  ?  I 
pause  for  a  reply." 

*'0,  but  this  is  different,"  said  Bart.  "That 
money-hole  on  the  hill  was  all  nonsense ;  and,  be- 
sides, what  was  it  then  frightened  us,  except  a 
miserable  little  donkey  ?  This  is  a  different  mat- 
ter. There  ought  to  be  something  there,  out  of 
all  the  plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main. 

"Don't  talk  about  plunder,  and  the  Spanish 
Main,"  said  the  captain.  "  The  way  that  that 
governor  had  of  rollin  out  them  words  of  his  was 
Homethin  that  made  a  man  feel  a  tinglin  all  over. 
It's  the  thirst  for  gold,  boys ;  don't  kindle  it  up  to 
a  flame ;  don't  temp  me  agin  my  better  natur ; 
don't,  don't." 

"  0,  see  here  now,  captain,"  said  Bart ;  "  don't 
look  at  things  in  that  way.  When  you  left  us  on 
the  ship,  it  wasn't  Avarice ;  it  was  because  you 
hadn't  any  idea  that  we  were  in  danger." 

Captain  Corbet  shook  his  heal.     "  No,"  said  he, 


THE  ANTELOPE  AT  SEA  AGAIN. 


57 


"It  was  Avarice,  the  Demon  of  Gold  —  nothing 
else.  It  blinded  my  eye,  an  hardened  my  heart. 
It's  the  way  it  alius  does." 

."  Well,!  don't  see  how  you  can  call  it  Avarice. 
You  only  wanted  money  for  your  baby  —  you 
know." 

At  the  mention  of  his  tender  offspring,  Captain 
Corbet's  face  changed;  a  mild  and  mellow  light 
beamed  in  his  aged  eye,  and  a  tender  parental  fond- 
ness was  visible  in  the  expression  of  his  venerable 
face. 

"  Terew  ! "  said  he  ;  "  terew  —  as  gospel !  " 

"  Well,  then,  you  must  feel  as  anxious  about  him 
now  as  you  were  then.  You  failed  that  time ; 
perhaps  this  time  you'll  succeed.  And  only  think 
how  jolly  it  would  be,  if  you  could  make  his  for- 
tune, and  give  him  a  college  education." 

At  this  crafty  allusion  to  Captain  Corbet's  fondest 
hope,  the  aged  navigator  was  overcome.  His  eyes 
became  moistened  with  tears ;  a  gentle  sigh  es- 
caped him ;  he  said  no  more,  and  all  the  boys  saw 
that  his  silence  meant  consent. 

The  Antelope  was  heading  towards  the  nearest 
point  on  the  Nova  Scotia  shore.  That  shore  lay 
ahnost  north,  or  north  by  west,  and  it  was  about  a 
Iniiidred  miles  distant.  Tlie  wind  was  fair  ;  there 
was  no  prospect  whatever  of  a  change  for  the 
worse ;  and  so  the  Antelope  walked  the  waters,  as 
usual,  like  a  thing  of  life,  while  the  boys  amused 
themselves  with  recalling  the  strange  story  of  the 


58 


THE   TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


governor  of  Sable  Island,  and  in  speculating  about 
the  probable  appearance  of  that  island  of  the  buc- 
caneers, which,  according  to  him,  had  been  the  de- 
posit and  the  burial-place  of  the  plunder  of  the 
Spanish  Main. 

The  Antelope  did  her  best.  The  wind  was  not 
very  strong,  yet  it  bore  her  along  as  fast  as  she 
was  capable  of  going ;  no  very  great  rate  of  speed, 
to  be  sure,  yet  last  enough  to  assure  them,  by  sun- 
set, that  they  were  already  far  enough  away  from 
Sable  Island  to  be  out  of  the  reach  of  danger  ;  out 
of  the  grasp  of  its  far-reaching  arms,  and  in  a  path- 
way which  brought  them  every  moment  nearer  to 
a  friendly  shore. 


IN   SIGHT   OF   LAND. 


69 


V. 


Land  again.  —  A  Line  of  Coast.  —  How  to  navigate. 

—  Flans  for  finding  the  Island  of  Treasure.  — 
The  Bays.  —  The  populous  Island.  —  The  old 
Man  and  his  Ox  Cart.  —  Ironhound.  —  Tancook. 

—  The  cautious  Questions  of  Bruce.  —  An  obtuse 
old  Man.  —  A  Confidence  from  Solomon.  —  A 
useless  Search.  —  A  Change  of  Policy.  —  How  to 
find  tJie  Island. 

^j^riE  wind  continued  fair,  and  during  the 
tSn  following  night  the  Antelope  kept  on  her 
^^  course.  On  the  following  day,  by  noon,  they 
came  within  sight  of  land,  and  the  distant  coaat- 
line  running  along  the  horizon  showed  them  now 
what  course  they  should  take.  Captain  Corbet 
now  headed  her  a  few  points  farther  to  the  west. 

"  I'm  all  right  now,"  said  he.  "  Jest  you  let  mo 
see  the  Nova  Scotia  coast,  and  I'll  fuller  it.  Hero 
We  go  now,  an  our  motter  air,  On'ard  an  up'ard." 

"  Downward,  rather  than  upward,  is  my  motto," 
said  Bart ;  "  for  I'm  bound  to  got  to  the  bottom  of 
the  treasure  of  the  buccaneers.  At  any  rate  we 
•flight  to  find  out  the  truth  about  it ;  for  the  saying 


i 


GO 


THE   TREASURE   OF   THE   SEAS. 


is,  that  truth  lies  at  the  bottom  of  a  well,  and  a 
money-hole  isn't  very  far  different." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  manage  to  find  Mahone 
Bay,  captain?"  asked  Bruce,  with  a  very  natural 
doubt  about  Captain  Corbet's  capacity  to  find  his 
way  to  a  strange  place. 

"  Wal,"  said  he,  '•  'pears  to  me  easy  enough,  with 
this  here  coast-line  to  guide  us.  You  see  all  we've 
got  to  do  is,  to  keep  on  along  this  here  coast  till  we 
come  to  Halifax  harbor.  Wal,  we  don't  go  in  thar, 
but  keep  straight  on.  Wal,  the  next  place  is  Mar- 
garet's Bay.  That's  easy  enongli ;  and  then  the 
next  place  is  Mahone  Bay.  So  you  see  it's  so 
plain  that  a  child  might  guide  his  tender  canoe  in 
safety  to  such  a  place  as  that." 

"  0,  I  dare  say  we'll  work  our  way  sooner,  or 
later  to  Mahone  Bay,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  what, we  are 
to  do  after  we  get  there  is  a  thing  which,  1  confess, 
puzzles  mo  a  little." 

"  O,  we'll  hunt  about  for  the  island,"  said  Bart. 

"Hunt  about?"  said  Phil.  "But  how  can  we 
find  it  ?     Shall  we  ask  people  ?  " 

"  O,  no,"  said  Bruce ;  "  that  would  never  do.  It 
wouldn't  do  at  all  to  let  a  single  soul  know  what 
wo  are  after.  They'd  all  follow  ns,  and  interfere 
witii  us.     No;  we've  got  to  bo  very  cautious." 

"  That's  a  fact,"  said  Tom ;  "  we  must  keep 
dark." 

"  0,  I  dare  say,"  said  Phil  j  "  but  how  can  we 
find  the  island?" 


HALIFAX   HARBOR. 


ei 


"  O,  we'll  hunt  it  up,"  said  Bart. 

"  But  how  can  we  tell  it  from  Adam,  or  from  any 
other  island  ?  " 

"  Sure  an  that's  aisy  enough,"  said  Pat.  "  We're 
lookin  for  an  island  that's  got  a  hole  inside  of  it ; 
an  if  there's  a  hole,  sure  we'll  know  it  by  the  heap 
it  makes." 

"  At  any  rate,"  said  Arthur,  "  we  can  look  about, 
and  if  we  can't  find  any  marks  to  guide  us,  why, 
then  we  can  make  inquiries  among  the  people." 

With  Buch  vague  plans  as  these,  then,  the  boys 
looked  forward  to  Mahone  Bay,  feeling  that  it  was 
necessary  to  keep  their  purpose  a  profound  secret, 
and  yet  not  knowing  how  to  find  the  island.  They 
were  unwilling  to  betray  their  errand  by  asking 
questions,  and  yet  without  asking  how  could  they 
hope  to  learn  anything?  This  was  a  difficulty 
which  they  all  felt,  and  in  the  presence  of  it  thi3y 
could  only  conclude  to  be  guided  by  circumstances. 

A  few  days  passed  and  the  Antelope  reached 
the  entrance  to  Halifax  harbor,  which  the  bold 
captain  recognized,  not  by  any  knowledge  of  his 
own,  for  he  had  never  been  here  before  ;  not  by  any 
chart  or  observation,  for  he  did  not  own  the  former, 
and  had  not  made  the  latter;  but  simply  from  see- 
ing a  steamer  go  up  into  the  land  towards  a  place 
where  the  sky  was  black  with  the  smoke  of  bitu- 
minous coal.  When  he  saw  that,  he  said,  "  This  is 
Halifax ; "  and,  saying  this,  he  felt  secure  of  his 
position,  and  kept  the  vessel  on  due  west. 


62 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


H 


It  was  morning  when  they  passed  Halifax.  By 
noon  they  passed  a  broad  bay,  which  they  decided  to 
be  Margaret's  Bay.  By  evening  they  had  reached 
anotlier  broad  bay.  At  its  mouth,  and  well  out  in 
the  ocean,  lay  an  island,  with  black  and  rocky 
sides,  and  wooded  top.  On  sailing  inside  of  this, 
they  noticed  that  it  was  inhabited,  and  from  this 
point  of  view  showed  houses  and  farms.  A  few 
miles  farther  on  was  another  island,  which  was 
cultivated  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  appeared 
to  be  thickly  populated.  Farther  on  there  ap- 
peared other  islands,  and  wooded  shores,  and  cul- 
tivated fields,  and  high  hills. 

This,  they  felt  sure,  was  their  destination  —  Ma- 
hone  Bay.  The  Antelope  passed  inside  of  the 
second  island,  and  here  dropped  anchor. 

It  was  yet  more  than  an  hour  before  sundown, 
and  the  boys  went  ashore  upon  the  island  nearest 
to  make  inquiries,  not  about  the  plunder  of  the 
Spanish  Main,  but  merely  of  a  general  nature.  The 
island  was  thickly  inhabited,  and  on  walking  a 
short  distance  from  the  beach  where  they  had  left 
their  boat,  they  found  a  road  which  seemed  well 
travelled,  and  appeared  to  run  from  one  end  of  the 
island  to  the  other.  In  a  little  while  an  old  man 
came  along  on  an  ox-cart,  who  bowed  with  a  good- 
natured  smile,  and  remarked  that  it  was  a  fine 
evening.     To  this  they  assented. 

"  What's  the  name  of  this  island  ?  "  asked  Bruce. 

Upon  being  thus  questioned,  the  old  man  stopped 


BRUCE   AND   THE   OLD   MAN. 


63 


his  oxen,  and,  looking  around  upon  the  young  faces 
before  him,  he  said, — 

"What?"    • 

"  What's  the  name  of  this  island  ?  " 

"  Tancook,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  Tancook?"  repeated  Bruce  ;  "and  what's  the 
name  of  that  other  one  ?  "  —  pointing  to  the  outer 
island,  which  tiiey  had  first  encountered. 

."That  thar?"  said  the  old  man,  looking  where 
Bruce  pointed,  --  "  tiiat  thar  ?  Why,  we  call  that 
thar  island  by  the  name  of  Ironbound." 

It  was  a  fine  name,  a  sonorous  and  at  the  same 
time  an  appropriate  name,  and  deeply  impressed 
the  boys. 

"  Fine  farming  country  this,"  said  Bruce,  once 
more  plunging  into  the  conversation. 

"  Wal,  pooty  so  so,"  said  the  old  man.  "  We 
ain't  got  no  reason  to  complain ;  though,  what  with 
diphthery,  an  sich,  it's  mighty  hard  on  children." 

"  A  good  many  people  here,  apparently,"  con- 
tinued Bruce,  in  a  lively  key. 

"  Wal,  pooty  toVble,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  'boiit 
a  hundred  families  on  this  here." 

"  Farmers  or  fishermen  ?  "  asked  Bruce. 

"  Wal,  a  leetle  of  the  one,  an  a  leetle  of  the 
tother." 

"  You've  got  a  church  here  too,"  continued 
Bruce. 

"  Yas  —  a  meetin-house." 

"  What  persuasion  is  that  meeting-house  ?  "  asked 


I!         '» 


m 


!  H 


64 


THE  TREASURE   OF   THE  SEAS. 


Bruce,  in  an  anxious  tone  of  voice,  as  though  the 
fortunes  of  the  whole  party  depended  on  the 
answer. 

"  Wal, mostly  Baptist,"  said  the  old  man,  "though 
not  all.  Were  kino  o'  cut  off,  an  live  mostly  to  our- 
selves. But  Tancook  ain't  sich  a  bad  place,  arter 
all,  and  we  manage  to  grub  along." 

"  It's  a  fine  bay  around  here,"  said  Bruce,  with 
a  grand,  patronizing  sweep  of  his  right  arm,  which 
seemed  meant  to  include  all  creation. 

"  Yas,"  said  the  old  man ;  "  there  ain't  nothin  like 
it  nowhar.  We've  got  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  islands,  of  all  shapes  an  sizes,  in  this  here  bay 
—  one  for  every  day  in  the  year.  This  here's  the 
biggest,  an  the  smallest  isn't  more  than  a  yard 
long.    Yas,  it's  a  fine  bay,  an  a  great  harbor." 

"  Three   hundred  and   sixtv-five   islands  1 "   ex- 

ft' 

claimed  Bruce,  in  a  tone  of  surprise.  "  Is  it  pos- 
sible ?  And  one  for  every  day  in  the  year  1  How 
extraordinary  1  But  is  there  really  that  exact 
number,  or  is  it  only  fancy?" 

"  Really  an  truly,"  said  the  old  man,  with  whom 
this-  was  evidently  the  deepest  conviction  of  hia 
mind.  "  O,  yas,  thar's  no  mistake  or  doubt  about 
it.  They've  all  been  counted,  over  an  over ;  yas, 
over  an  over  —  over  an  over." 

"  It's  very  strange,"  said  Bruce.  "  It's  most 
extraordinary ;  and  now  I  dare  say,"  he  continued, 
in  an  insinuating  way,  *  I  dare  say  that,  among  so 
many  islands,  some  of  them  are  well  worth  a  visit. 


THE  OLD  man's  INCOMMUNICATIVENESS. 


G5 


This  isltind  of  yours  is  a  perfect  wonder  —  so 
fertile,  so  beautii'iil  1  Aru  there  any  others  that 
are  like  this?" 

"  Wal,  not  to  say  jest  like  this ;  but  they're  fine 
islands,  many  of  them,  an  curoua,  too.  Thar's  some 
that's  only  islands  at  high  tide,  bein  connected 
with  the  main  land  by  narrer  beaches  an  shoals  at 
low  tide;  an  then,  agin,  thar's  others  that's  only 
islands  at  low  tide,  bein  completely  kivered  up  by 
the  water  at  high  tide ;  and  so  it  goes  ;  an  some's 
cleared  an  inlrabited,  like  this ;  an  some's  wild,  an 
kivered  with  woods ;  an  some  has  only  one  family 
on  it;  an  some's  cultivated,  but  has  no  one  livin 
on  them ;  an  so  we've  got  all  sorts,  you  see,  an 
they're  all  well  wuth  visitin.  Thar's  Pead  Man's 
Island,  an  Quaker  Island,  an  Oak  Island,  an  Maple 
Island,  an  Ironbound ; "  and  the  old  man  went  on 
to  enumerate  dozens  of  names  in  addition  to  these, 
out  of  which  no  individual  one  made  any  impres- 
sion on  the  minds  of  his  hearers. 

Thus  far  Bruce  had  been  questioning  the  old 
man  chiefly  with  the  hope  that  he  might  drop  some 
remark  which  might  be  of  use  to  them  in  their 
search  after  the  treasure  island.  But  no  such  re- 
mark was  forthcoming,  and  the  string  of  names 
which  was  enumerated  convej'ed  no  information 
whatever,  ^o  Bruce  made  one  more  effort,  and 
ventured  to  come  a  little  more  to  the  point. 

"  This  bay,"  said  he,  "  has  been  a  great  place 
for  buccaneers  —  so  I've  heard.  Do  you  know 
6 


THE  TKEiSURE  OP  THE  SEAS, 


l         )f! 


W  i 


anything  about  them  ?  Can  yon  tell  me  of  any 
island  in  particular  that  people  talk  of  as  being 
visited  by  them?  There's  one,  I  think,  that  the 
buccaneers  used  to  visit.  Perhaps  you've  heard 
about  them,  and  can  tell  us  the  name  of  the  island, 
and  where  it  is." 

Now,  this  was  pretty  direct ;  indeed,  all  the  other 
boys'  thought  that  it  was  altogether  too  direct, 
especially  since  they  had  all  concluded  that  it  was 
best  not  to  ask  any  questions,  except  those  of  a 
general  character.  Bart  and  Tom  both  nudged 
Bruce  very  violently,  to  rebuke  his  rashness ;  but 
their  nudges  had  no  effect. 

The  old  man  "stared,  then  frowned,  then  looked 
blank,  and  then  frowned  again.  Then  he  looked  at 
Bruce,  and  said,  in  an  uncertain,  hesitating  way, — 

"  Bucker  nears?" 

"  Yea,'*  said  Bruce.  "  Buccaneers.  They  used 
to  come  here,  you  know.     Lots  of  them." 

The  old  man  wagged  his  old  head  up  and  down 
several  times. 

"  O,  yas;  I  dar  say.  Buccar  nears — an  lots  of 
other  fish,  that's  left  us.  They  used  to  come  here 
in  shoals — likewise  mackerel;  but  them  days  is 
over.  Sometimes  shad  an  her'n  comes  here  now ; 
but  things  ain't  as  they  used  to  be,  an  it's  gittin 
harder  an  harder  every  year  for  us  fishermen.  It's 
as  much  as  a  man  can  do,  with  farmin  and  fiJiin 
together,  to  find  bread  an  butter  for  himself  an  hia 
children.     As  to  them  —  buck  —  buck  —  buek  — 


A   DISCUSSION. 


67 


fish,  I  don't  know.  I  don't  mind  ever  hearin  of 
them,  leastways  not  under  that  thar  name.  P'raps 
they're  a  kine'  o'  mackerel ;  an  I  only  wish  they'd 
come  now,  as  they  used  to  when  I  was  young." 

At  this  extraordinary  misapprehension  of  hia 
meaning,  Bruce  stared,  and  seemed,  for  a  moment, 
about  to  explain  himself;  but  the  other  boys 
checked  him,  and  the  old  man  himself  seemed  to 
become  suddenly  lost  in  his  remembrances  of  those 
days  of  youth,  which  might  nevur  be  equalled  now. 

"  Won't  you  jump  in,  an  take  a  ride  ?  "  said  he, 
at  length.  "Air  you  goin  my  way?  Ef  so,  you 
may  as  well  git  a  lift  as  not." 

The  boys  thanked  him,  and  excused  themselves. 
They  were  not  going  his  way,  but  in  another  direc- 
tion. A  few  more  words  passed,  and  at  length  the 
old  man  bade  them  good  by,  whistled  up  his  oxen, 
and  mov^ed  forward.  As  for  the  boys,  they  did  not 
feel  inclined  to  pursue  their  investigations  any 
further  just  then. 

"  The  next  time  we  ask,"  said  Tom,  "  we'll  have 
to  talk  about  Captain  Kidd,  plump  and  plain,  and 
then  perhaps  they'll  understand." 

"  Well,"  said  Bart,  "  I  don't  see  what  use  there 
la  in  proclaiming  to  the  wiiole  world  our  business. 
We'd  better  cruise  about  for  a  while,  and  examine 
for  ourselves." 

"0,  well,"  said  Bruco,  "there's  nothing  like 
dropping  a  quiet  hint,  interrogatively.  It  may 
bi-'ur  IVuit  in  tlie  shape  of  useful  information." 


68 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


li  i 


I 


i 


J 


i    ! 


"  Like  the  old  man's  information  about  the  buc- 
caneer mackerel,"  said  Tom,  with  a  laugh. 

Bruce  deigned  no  reply.  They  waited  here  a 
little  longer,  and,  after  strolling  about  some  dis- 
tance farther,  they  went  back  to  the  boat,  and 
returned  to  the  Antelope. 

That  evening  Solomon  addressed  himself  to  Bart, 
secretly  and  in  confidence,  as  the  latter  happened 
to  be  sitting  on  the  windlass,  trying  to  concoct 
some  plan  by  which  they  might  find  the  mysterious 
island  that  contained  the  buried  treasure  of  the 
buccaneers,  —  the  wonderful,  the  stupendous,  the 
incalculable  plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main.  To  him, 
thus  meditating,  cogitating,  and  reflecting,  the 
age<l  Solomon  thus  addressed  himself:  — 

"  What's  all  dis  yar  new  'posal,  Mas'r  Bart, 
'bout  buried  treasures,  an  tings?  'Pears  to  mo 
youn  all  goin  mad,  an  rushin  head  fo'most  into  do 
jaws  ob  'structium.  Better  look  out,  I  say.  Dars 
no  knowin  wliar  dis  yar's  goin  to  end.  Dem  dar 
pirates'  ghosts  keep  alius  a  fly  in  an  a  fiittin  roun 
de  place  whar  dey  bury  de  treasure,  and  it  '11  take 
more'n  you  boys  to  tar  dat  ar  plunder  out  of  deir 
keepin.  Dis  yar  scursion  'bout  dis  yar  bay  ain't 
goin  to  end  in  no  good.  Dar  ain't  a  succumstance 
dat  kin  favor  you ;  eberyting's  clean  agin  you ;  an 
if  you  fine'  de  hole  whar  de  treasure's  buried,  it  '11 
only  bring  roonatium  an  'structium." 

"  Solomon,"  said  Bart,  "  my  aged,  venerable,  and 
revered  friend,  I  am  deeply  pained  at  this  exhibi- 


SOLOMON'S   ADMONITION. 


69 


tion  of  superstition  in  one  who  ought  to  have  a 
soul  above  ghosts.  A  man  like  you,  Solomon,  who 
has  real  evils  to  suffer,  who  is  afflicted  by  such 
real  calamities  as  rheumatism,  and  what  you  call 
"  broomatism,"  ought  to  have  a  soul  above  ghosts. 
Isn't  it  enough  for  you  to  live  in  perpetual  terror 
about  the  reappearance  of  that  Gorgon  who  calls 
you  husband,  and  beats  you  over  the  head  with  a 
poker,  that  you  must  take  the  trouble  to  get  up  a 
new  set  of  afflictions,  and  trot  out  your  super- 
stitious fancies." 

"  Mas'r  Bart,"  said  Solomon,  earnestly,  "  look 
heah;  dis  yar  ain't  no  common  'currence.  Dar'a 
death  an  rooiiatium  afore  us  all.  You're  goin  to 
'sturb  de  'pose  oh  de  dead  —  an  de  worst  sort  ob 
dead.  Dem's  de  sort  dat  won't  stand  no  nonsense, 
I've  had  'nough  ob  money-holes,  an  diggin  in  em, 
for  my  time.  De  ghost  ob  a  dead  pirate  ain't  to 
be  laughed  at.  Dey'll  hab  vengeance  —  sure's 
you're  born.  Dar's  no  sort  ob  use  in  temptin  fate. 
Sure's  yon  go  down  into  dat  ar  money-hole,  so  sure 
you  hab  down  on  your  shoulders  de  ghosts  ob  all  de 
pirates  dat  eber  was  hung,  an  dem  dat  was  unhung, 
too.  So,  Mas'r  Bart,  don't  you  go  foolin  round  here 
dis  yar  way.  I'se  a  olo  man,  Mas'r  Bart,  an  I'se  seen 
much  ob  de  world,  an  I  'vise  you  to  clar  out,  an  not 
temp  de  ghosts  ob  de  pirates  in  dis  yar  fashium." 

Solomon's  warning  was  sincere,  and  was  spoken 
with  the  utmost  earnestness ;  but  Bart  was  quitp 
inaccessible  to  sincerity  and  earnestness.  He 
laughed  at  Solumuu'ti  fears,  reminded  him  of  hv* 


70 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


! 


lii 


foolivsh  behavior  on  former  occasions,  brought  to 
his  memovy  the  time  when  he  had  fled  from  the 
braying  of  an  ass,  and  the  other  occasion  when  he 
had  fled  from  the  hoot  of  an  owl.  But,  though 
Solomon  could  not  help  owning  that  he  had  acted 
on  those  occasions  witli  shameful  cowardice  and 
folly,  yet  the  consciousness  of  this  could  not  lessen 
in  the  sliglitest  degree  the  superstitious  terrors 
that  now  filled  his  breast ;  and  so,  as  Bart  found  him 
incorrigible,  he  had  to  give  up  the  efibrt  to  calm 
his  mind. 

That  night  all  on  board  slept  more  soundly  than 
they  had  for  weeks.  The  Antelope  was  anchored 
in  smooth  water,  in  a  secure  and  sheltered  harbor, 
near  a  friendly  Lnd,  and  no  care  whatever  was  in 
the  minds  of  the  boys,  or  of  the  cjiptain.  Such 
perfect  freedom  from  anxiety  had  not  lueu  their 
lot  for  a  long  time ;  and  in  proportion  to  this  peace 
of  njind  was  the  profoundness  of  their  sleep. 

On  the  following  day  they  cruised  all  about  the 
bay,  keeping  ever  on  the  lookout  for  the  Island  of 
the  Buccaneers.  But  they  soon  found  tliat  the 
search  was  hopeless  under  the  conditions  which 
they  had  imposed  upon  themselves.  To  seek  for 
what  is  unknown,  and  not  ask  for  directions,  is 
surely  one  of  the  most  impracticable  of  tasks.  The 
experience  which  they  had  thus  far  had  was  enough, 
and  they  found  themselves  compelled  either  to 
give  up  the  search  altogether,  or  else  to  break 
through  the  secrecy  which  they  had  imposed  upon 
themselves. 


THE  CRUISE   AROUND  THE   BAY. 


71 


VI. 

The  Cruise  around  the  Bay.  —  A  quaint  and  curi- 
ous Town.  —  Sleepy  Hollow.  —  A  homeUhe  Inn, 
—  A  genial  and  communicative  Landlord,  —  A 
delicate  Manipulation.  —  Aspotogon  aiid  Deep 
Cove.  —  Bart  enters  into  an  Argument.  —  Tlie 
Landlord  plunges  into  tlve  Subject  of  Captain 
Kidd.  —  A  wonderful  Revelation.  —  The  Treas- 
ure of  the  Seas  at  last,  —  TJie  Island  of  golden 
Store. 


>HE  cruise  around  Mahone  Bay  had  thus 
proved  useless,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. The  search  after  one  island  out 
of  hundreds,  where  the  appearance,  and  even  the 
name,  of  that  island  were  unknown  to  them,  was 
certainly  an  extraordinary  piece  of  folly.  Had 
they  allowed  themselves  to  make  direct  inquiries, 
they  could  have  found  the  island  without  any 
trouble.  But  this  was  the  very  thing  which  they 
were  unwilling  to  do ;  partly,  as  has  been  said, 
from  the  fear  of  drawing  attention  to  their  pro- 
ceedings, and  of  being  interrupted  or  interfered 
with  in  some  way ;  but  partly,  no  doubt,  becauso 


72 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


!    '•!' 


they  found  a  much  greater  charm  in  movements 
which  were  thus  surrounded  by  mystery.  It  was 
appropriate  for  the  members  of  the  great  secret 
society  of  the  B.  0.  W.  C.  to  enter  upon  this  new 
undertaking  in  secrecy. 

But  now  this  had  to  be  given  up,  and  they  con- 
cluded to  go  ashore  at  the  chief  settlement  of  the 
bay,  and  make  inquiries.  In  these  inquiries  they 
resolved  still  to  maintain  their  secret  as  far  as 
possible,  and  not  to  divulge  it  unless  it  was  abso- 
lutely necessary  ;  they  determined  to  hint,  rather 
than  ask,  and  obtain  information  indirectly,  rather 
than  directly. 

The  chief  settlement  of  Mahone  Bay  is  the  town 
of  Chester,  one  of  the  greatest  curiosities  in 
America.  It  is  not  a  settlement.  It  is  a  town. 
It  is  situated  on  a  peninsula,  with  a  harbor  on  its 
front  and  on  its  rear.  This  peninsula  is  all  laid  out 
in  streets,  which  cross  one  another  at  right  angles, 
with  perfect  regularity.  At  the  point  where  the 
peninsula  terminates,  is  a  spacious  place,  intended 
to  serve  as  a  j)romenade ;  and  here  there  is  a  nar- 
row shoal  running  off  to  another  piece  of  land, 
which  is  a  peninsula  or  an  island  by  turns,  as  the 
shoal  is  covered  or  uncovered  by  the  water. 

There  is  a  wonderful  quaintness  and  quiet  in 
Chester.  It  is  tlio  Nova  Scotian  representative 
of  Sleepy  Hollow.  The  streets,  which  are  so  nice- 
ly laid  out,  are  all  covered  with  turf,  and  are  as 
green  as  the  town  lots  on  either  side.    The  houses 


A  QUAINT  ANTy   CURIOUS  TOWN. 


73 


la 


are  all  old  ;  the  people  are  all  quiet  and  leisurely, 
taking  the  world  in  the  easiest  manner  ]»ossible. 
The  very  dogs,  affected  by  the  peace  and  calm 
around,  seem  unwilling  to  bark,  except  under  the 
strongest  possible  provocation. 

The  scenery  around  this  quaint  little  town  may 
safely  be  classed  among  the  most  beautiful  in 
the  world.  The  wide  bay,  with  its  hundreds  of 
islands,  forms  an  almost  unequalled  place  for  yacht- 
ing. Many  of  the  islands  have  curious  names, 
associated  with  some  curious  legend.  The  waters 
abound  with  myriads  of  shell  fish,  and  sometimes 
have  a  marvellous  transparency.  The  winding 
shore  of  the  bay  forms  one  of  the  loveliest  of 
drives,  and  affords  perpetual  variety  of  scenery  ; 
and  the  climate  in  summer  time  is  so  genial,  that 
it  forms  the  perfection  of  a  watering-place  for 
those  who  have  to  fly  from  the  heat  of  southern 
latitudes.  And  this  will  one  day  be  the  destiny  of 
Chester,  when  the  world  knows  it ;  when  the  rush 
of  parched  travellers  takes  place ;  when  great  ho- 
tels face  its  promenade,  and  the  streets,  once  laid 
out  with  80  bold  a  design,  are  lined  with  houses 
and  shops.  Such  changes  will  one  day  take  place ; 
but  whether  Chester  will  be  then  so  altogether 
lovely  as  it  is  now  in  its  Sleepy  Hollow  epoch,  is  a 
matter  about  which  there  may  well  be  doubt. 

Such  was  the  place,  then,  in  which  the  boys 
found  themselves;  and  they  all  agreed  with  one 
opinion,  that  Chester  was,  iu  every  respect,  worthy 


li 


74 


THE  theasurb  of  the  seas. 


of  standing  here  in  this  lovely  bay,  in  the  imme- 
diate  vicinity  of  the  mysterious  Island  of  the 
Buccaneers,  where  lay  stored  up  the  treasure  of 
the  sea  and  the  plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main. 

On  looking  about  the  place,  they  came  to  an  inn, 
which  had  such  an  air  of  comfort  and  tranquillity, 
and  such  a  home-like  appearance,  that  they  deter- 
mined to  put  up  at  it,  and  prosecute  their  investi- 
gations in  a  leisurely  fashion.  They  arrived  in 
time  for  dinner;  and,  if  there  had  been  any  doubt 
in  their  minds  as  to  the  propriety  of  deserting  tbe 
Antelope,  it  was  dispelled  at  the  appearance  of 
the  dinner  which  was  served  up.  For  there  were 
salmon  and  green  peas,  —  delicacies  of  wliich,  like 
all  good  boys,  they  were  particularly  fond,  and  to 
which  they  had  been  strangers  for  a  long  time. 
There,  too,  were  strawberries,  the  last  of  the  sea- 
son, with  cream  of  the  richest  kind  ;  and  together 
with  these  were  the  mealiest  of  potatoes,  the 
whitest  of  bread,  the  freshest  of  butter,  and  the 
most  immaculate  coffee.  To  all  these  things  their 
late  sea  fare  afforded  a  striking  contrast,  and  Sol- 
omon's star  declined  sadly. 

The  landlord  they  found  most  good-natured,  and 
most  genial,  like  all  the  inhabitants  of  this  favored 
spot.  He  was  communicative  about  himself j  proud 
of  his  town,  proud  of  the  scenery  around,  and  yet 
not  at  all  inquisitive  as  to  the  purposes  of  his 
guests.  This  seemed  to  them  to  bo  the  very  man 
whom  they  might  interrogate  without  endanger- 


A  GENIAL  AND  COMMUNICATIVE  LANDLORD.   76 


iiig  their  secret ;  for,  wliile  his  comraunicativeness 
would  lead  liiin  to  tell  everything  that  there  was 
to  be  told,  his  lack  of  curiosity  would  prevent  him 
from  asking  any  unpleasant  questions. 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  they  could  got  a  conven- 
ient chance,  they  button-holed  the  landlord,  and 
began  a  series  of  questions  of  a  very  non-dommit- 
tal  character,  referring  cln'efly  to  the  scenery  of 
Malione  Bay,  and  the  places  most  worthy  of  a 
visit.  They  did  not  make  the  remotest  reference 
to  the  buccaneers  or  to  Captain  Kidd,  but  seemed 
to  lijjve  their  thoughts  occupied  with  scenery  only. 

The  hindlord  grow  elo(iuent  upon  the  theme 
of  the  scenery  of  Mahono  Bay.  lie  told  them  about 
the  islands,  and  mentioned  the  number  very  par- 
ticularly, insisting  upon  it  that  their  number  was 
exactly  three  hundred  and  sixty-five.  He  spoke 
of  the  drive  along  the  shore,  of  a  place  called 
Gold  River,  where  there  was  excellent  fishing,  and 
finally  mentioned  a  place  which  ho  called  Aspot- 
ogon.  Upon  this  theme  he  grew  more  enthusiastic 
than  ever.  Aspotogon,  he  said,  was  the  highest 
mountain  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Nova  Scotia, 
and  the  approach  to  it  afforded  a  view  of  the  most 
remarkable  scenery  in  the  whole  bay.  This  ap- 
proach lay  through  a  narrow  inlet  which  ran  to 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  was  called  Deep 
Cove.  It  was  bordered  by  precipices,  for  a  long 
way,  on  either  side,  and  was  a  wild  and  romantic 
Bpot.    It  terminated  in   a  circular  basin,  on  one 


76 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


side  of  which  was  a  deep  declivity,  by  wliich  they 
could  find  tlie  shortest  ascent  to  the  summit  of 
Aspotogon ;  and,  in  addition  to  this,  they  could  find 
fishing  and  bathing  to  their  hearts'  content. 

In  all  this,  however,  there  was  no  mention  made 
of  any  island  like  the  one  which  they  wished  to 
find.  Ho  mentioned,  indeed,  the  names  of  severaf 
islands,  in  a  casual  sort  of  way,  but  made  no  allu- 
sion to  any  legends  of  the  buccaneers.  The  only 
reference  which  he  made  to  treasure,  was  on  the 
name  of  that  fishing  stream  which  he  had  de- 
scribed  to  them.  This  was  Gold  River ;  and  the 
name  excited  their  attenti(m.  Bart  asked  what 
the  name  had  reference  to  ;  and  the  landlord  re- 
plied, that  it  arose  from  the  color  of  its  water. 
This  commonplace  derivation  of  such  a  name  dis- 
gusted and  disappointed  them  all,  for  they  hoped 
to  hear  of  a  different  origin,  and  one  more  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  present  purpose. 

The  landlord  dwelt  to  a  great  extent  on  Aspot* 
ogon  and  Deep  Cove,  and  fi!ially  offered  to  go 
there  with  them,  if  they  felt  inclined  to  make  a 
visit  to  the  place.  Though  the  boys  were  still  as 
eager  as  ever  about  the  Island  of  the  Buccaneers, 
yet  they  were  by  no  means  indifferent  to  the 
charms  of  a  romantic  place  like  this,  nor  at  all  dis- 
inclined to  roam  about  the  bay  farther.  The  offer 
of  the  landlord  was  also  an  additional  inducement, 
and  they  thought  that  in  the  intimacy  of  ship- 
board they  might  manage  to  get  something  more 


BAItT  ENTERS  INTO  AN  ARGUMENT. 


77 


direct  out  of  In'm,  and  learn  from  liim  all  that  there 
was  to  be  learnt  about  any  existing  legends  cur- 
rent amcnig  the  people,  such  aa  the  governor  of 
Sahle  Island  had  mentioned.  It  was  arranged, 
therefore,  that  they  should  go  on  the  following  day. 

After  dinner  the  boys  started  off  in  different 
directions.  Bruce  in  a  boat,  Arthur  along  the  shore, 
Tom  and  Phil  over  the  hills,  while  Bart  and  Pat 
sauntered  about  the  wharves,  catching  star-fish, 
sea-urchins,  and  jelly-fish,  of  which  there  were 
myriads.  Towards  evening  they  returned  to  the 
inn,  and  found  the  landlord  seated  on  the  steps. 
They  seated  themselves  too,  and  gradually  fell  into 
a  conversation. 

"  This  bay  must  have  been  a  great  place  in  old 
times,"  said  Bart,  trying  to  feel  his  way  as  easily 
as  possible  towards  the  subject  of  the  buccaneers. 

The  landlord  shook  his  head  with  solemn  em- 
phasis. 

"  Tre  —  mendous  1 "  he  slowly  ejaculated. 

"  Such  a  capital  place  for  hiding  from  any  ship 
that  might  be  chasing  I "  said  Bart ;  "  so  many 
islands  1  Why,  if  a  ship  once  got  in  here,  she  could 
never  bo  found." 

"  Best  dodging-place  in  the  world,"  said  the 
landlord.  "  Lots  of  islands,  lots  of  harbors,  and 
deep  water  too,  everywhere." 

"  The  old  French  days  must  have  been  pretty 
exciting  hereabouts,"  continued  Bart,  making  a 
fresh  advance.     "  The   English  and  French  used 


78 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


to  have  it  hot  and  heavy  ;  and  I  dare  say  this  bay 
had  its  share  of  the  fun." 

"  Of  course,  of  course,"  said  the  landlord  ;  "and 
before  that  too,  long  before ;  and  worse  goings  on 
than  fair,  stand-up  fights.  There's  been  queer 
doings  in  these  waters." 

To  these  words  the  landlord  gave  emphasis  by 
a  significant  shake  of  his  head,  which  spoke  un- 
utterable things,  and  drove  Bart  and  Pat  wild 
with  curiosity. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Bart. 

The  landlord  looked  at  him  solemnly  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  asked, — 

"  Did  you  ever  happen  to  hear  of  Captain  Kidd  ?  " 

"  Captain  Kidd  ?  "  repeated  Bart,  in  innocent 
wonder,  "  Captain  Kidd?  Hear  of  him?  Of  course 
I've  heard  of  him.     Everybody  knows  about  him." 

"  Well,  if  that  man's  ghost  don't  haunt  this  bay, 
then  I'm  a  nigger." 

"  Haunt  this  bay  ?  What  do  you  mean  ?  What 
had  Captain  Kidd  to  do  with  this  bay  ?  He  was 
hanged  at  London." 

"  He  had  a  precious  lot  to  do  with  this  bay," 
said  the  landlord,  positively." 

"  Why,  I  don't  see  how  that  could  be,"  said  Bart, 
trying  to  get  the  landlord  excited  by  contradic- 
tion. "  I  don't  see  how  he  ever  could  have  been 
here.  His  story's  a  simple  enough  one  :  soon  told. 
I've  heard  it  often.  How  he  went  from  New  York 
to  London  well  recommended,  and  got  a  commit* 


A    WONDERFUL   REVELATION. 


VJ 


aion  from  the  British  government  to  command  a 
ship,  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down  pirates  in 
India  and  the  East.  But  this  didn't  suit  him 
quite ;  so  he  turned  pirate  himself.  Most  of  his 
piracies  took  place  in  the  East,  though.  It's  true 
he  returned  to  America,  and  made  a  great  panic ; 
but  he  was  captured  and  sent  to  England,  where 
he  was  tried  and  executed.  That  was  in  1699.  I 
remember  the  date  very  well.  So  I  don't  see  how 
he  could  have  done  much  about  here." 

Bart  spoke  very  volubly,  and  seemed  to  have 
the  Life  of  Captain  Kidd  at  his  tongue's  end.  The 
landlord  listened  very  attentively.  But  Bart's 
words,  instead  of  shaking  his  own  convictions, 
only  served,  as  Bart  had  hoped  and  intended,  to 
strengthen  and  confirm  them.  As  Bart  spoke,  he 
raised  himself  up  out  of  the  lounging  attitude  in 
which  he  had  been  sitting,  looked  full  in  Bart's 
face,  and  as  he  ceased,  —    " 

"  Very  well.  Grant  all  that,"  said  the  landlord, 
with  a  comprehensive  sweep  of  his  hand,  which 
seemed  to  concede  every  single  statement  that 
Bart  had  made,  in  the  fullest  and  frankest  manner. 
"  Grant — all  —  that  —  every  word  of  it.  I  don't 
doubt  it  at  all  —  not  me.  Very  well.  Now  mark 
me.  Captain  Kidd  did  really,  and  truly,  and  actu- 
ally, flourish  about  here,  in  this  here  bay  —  for  he's 
left  behind  him  the  most  —  iin  —  mis  —  tak  —  able 
in  —  di  —  ca  —  tions.  I've  seen 'cm  myself,  with 
my  own  eyes.     I've  handled  'em  myself,  and  with 


f 

I; 


I 


m 


80 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


my  own  hands.  And  besides,  that  tlicro  pirate 
nuiat  have  been  about  over  the  coast  of  America 
a  good  deal  more  than  you  give  him  credit  for,  or 
he  wouldn't  have  left  a  name  behind,  from  one  end 
of  America  to  the  other ;  and,  at  any  rate,  he  must 
have  been  here,  or  else  he  wouldn't  have  left  be- 
hind what  he  has  left,  and  what  I've  seen  with  my 
own  eyes."  ' 

"  I  didn't  know,"  said  Bart,  « that  he  had  left 
any  traces  of  himself  here.  What  are  they  ? 
Wliat  kind  of  traces  ?  " 

"  AVhat  kind  of  traces  ? "  said  the  landlord. 
"Traces  that  beat  everything  in  the  way  of  traces 
that  any  pirate  ever  made.  What  do  you  say,  for 
instance,  to  a  pit  so  deep  that  nobody's  ever  been 
able  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  it?  " 

"  A  pit  ?  What  sort  of  a  pit  ?  "  asked  Bart,  full 
of  excitement. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  his  filling  that  pit  with 
oaken  chests,  crammed  full  of  gold  and  silver  in- 
gots, and  gold  candlesticks,  plundered  from  Cath- 
olic churches,  and  precious  stones,  such  as  dia- 
monds, rubies,  and  emeralds — beyond  all  count- 
ing?" 

"  Gold  !  silver !  precious  stones  I  "  repeated  Bart, 
who  was  so  overcome  by  this  astounding  informa- 
tion, that  he  could  only  utter  these  words. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  his  taking  the  prisoners 
that  had  dug  his  hole,  and  filled  it,  and  killing 
them  all,  to  keep  his  secret  ?  " 


THE  ISLAND   OP  GOLDEN  STORE. 


81 


"  Killing  his  prisoners  ! " 

"  What  do  you  say/'  continued  the  landlord,  en- 
joying with  keenest  relish  the  evident  excitement 
of  Bart,  —  "  what  do  you  say  to  hia  contriving  the 
most  extraordinary  plans  >ver  heard  of  to  pro- 
vent  anybody  ever  getting  at  that  treasure,  —  by 
making  the  hole,  in  the  first  place,  far  down  under 
the  level  of  the  sea,  —  by  building  a  drain,  so  as 
to  let  in  the  sea  water ;  and  then,  after  killing  the 
prisoners,  filling  up  the  hole  to  the  very  top? 
What  do  you  say  to  all  that?" 

"  Why,  I  never  heard  of  this  in  all  my  life  ! 
How  do  you  know  it  ?  Tell  me,  now.  Tell  me  all 
about  it.  Where  is  the  place  ?  Is  it  here  —  in 
this  bay  ?  " 

"Of  course  it  is.  I've  said  as  much,"  replied 
the  landlord. 

"  But  you  didn't  mention  it  this  morning." 

"  No,  because  you  only  wanted  to  hear  about 
fine  scenery.  This  place  isn't  particularly  remark- 
able for  that.  It's  a  little  island,  not  more  than 
three  miles  from  here,  up  that  way  to  the  right. 
It's  called  Oak  Island,  because  Captain  Kidd 
})lanted  it  with  arorns,  so  as  to  know  it  wi.en  he 
came  back.  Well,  since  his  day,  the  acorns  have 
grown  to  be  oaks  —  some  of  them  pretty  big  — 
though  being  near  tlie  sea,  they  haven't  grown  so 
big  as  they  would  have  done  if  they  had  been 
planted  farther  inland." 

"  Oak  Island  !  "  repeated  Bart,  in  a  tone  which 
6 


82 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


expressed  the  most  profound  interest,  —  "  Oak 
Island!" 

"  That's  the  place,"  said  the  landlord.  "  I  won- 
der you  ain't  heard  of  Oak  Island  before." 

"  Never,"  said  Bart ;  "  that  is,  I've  heard  the 
name  mentioned ;  but  never  knew  that  Captain 
Kidd  had  anything  to  do  with  it.'* 

"That's  just  what  he  had,"  said  the  landlord. 
"  Everybody  in  these  parts  can  tell  you  all  about 
it.  People  have  been  full  of  it  ever  since  Chester 
was  settled.     I've  heard  it  all  my  life." 

"  But  if  there's  money  there,  why  don't  they 
get  it  ?  "  asked  Bart. 

"  Because  they  can't  1 " 

«  Can't  ?  " 

"  No,  can't.  Captain  Kidd  knowed  what  he  was 
about,  and  he  made  his  arrangements  so  that,  from 
that  day  to  this,  nobody's  ever  been  able  to  get 
down  to  the  bottom  of  that  money-hole,  and,  in 
my  humble  opinion,  never  will." 

«  Why  not  ?    I  don't  understand." 

"  Well,"  said  the  landlord,  "  it's  a  long  story ; 
but  as  I've  got  nothing  to  do  just  now,  I  don't 
mind  telling  you  about  it." 

So  saying,  the  landlord  settled  himself  into  an 
easy,  lounging  attitude,  and  began  the  story  of 
Oak  Island. 


THE  landlord's  STORY   OP   OAK   ISLAND.         83 


VII. 

The  wonderful  Story  of  Oak  Island.  —  Tlie  Circle 
in  the  Forest.  —  Digging  for  Gold.  —  Exciting 
Discoveries.  —  Far  down  in  the  Depths  of  the 
Earth.  —  The  Treasure  touchy  at  last.  —  The 
Tredsure  snatched  away.  —  A  new  Search,  and 
its  Results.  —  Boring  through  the  Chest  of  Gold,  — 
A  Company.  —  A  new  Pit  made.  —  I7ie  Drain. 
—  Neto  Efforts.  —  Tlie  Coffer  Dam.  —  New  Com- 
panies. —  Captain  Kidd  too  much  for  them. 


u 


•••  BELIEVE,"  said  the  landlord, "  there's  always 
^f*  been  a  talk,  among  the  people  around  here, 
that  Captain  Kidd  used  this  place  as  a  kind 
of  headquarters ;  and  this  idea  seems  to  nio  to 
have  come  down  from  old  settlers  who  might  have 
been  here  in  his  own  day,  —  French  and  others, — 
though  Chester  wasn't  actually  settled  till  long 
after  his  time.  At  any  rate,  there  it  was,  and 
everybody  used  always  to  believe  that  Captain 
Kidd  hid  his  money  somewhere  in  this  bay.  Well, 
nothing  very  particular  happened  till  some  sixty 
years  ago,  when  a  man,  on  visiting  Oak  Island, 
just  by  chance  saw  something  which  seemed  to 
him  very  curious. 


■ 


84 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


"  The  island  was  overgrown  with  oaks  and  other 
trees  intermixed.  Now,  right  in  the  midst  of  these 
trees,  he  came  to  a  queer-looking  place.  It  was 
circular,  and  about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  Trees 
grew  all  around  it.  Just  on  this  circular  spot,  how- 
ever, nothing  grew  at  all,  not  even  moss  or  ferns. 
It  looked  as  if  it  had  been  cursed,  or  blasted. 
The  trees  were  all  around  it  —  some  oak  and  some 
maple ;  but  among  them  was  one,  —  pine  or  spruce, 
I  don't  know  which,  —  and  this  one  looked  a  good 
deal  older  than  the  others.  One  of  the  boughs  of 
this  old  pine  tree  projected  right  over  the  blasted 
circular  spot  in  a  very  singular  fashion,  and  on  this 
the  man  noticed  something  that  looked  like  very 
queer  growth  for  a  pine  tree.  He  climbed  up,  and 
found  that  it  was  a  pulley,  which  was  so  rotten 
that  it  might  have  been  hanging  there  a  hundred 
years.  It  was  fastened  to  the  bough  by  a  chain, 
and  this  was  so  rusty  that  it  broke  in  his  hands. 
This  pulley  and  rusty  chain  the  man  removed  and 
took  with  him. 

"  Of  course,  as  you  may  imagine,  ho  was  a  good 
deal  struck  bv  the  appearance  of  things.  He  had 
always  hoard  that  Captain  Kidd  had  once  fre- 
quented Mahone  Bay,  and  had  buried  treasure 
some  where  about ;  and  here  he  had  discovered  this 
blasted  spot  with  a  pulley  over  it,  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  woods  on  a  lonely  island  —  a  place 
that  looked  as  though  no  one  had  ever  been  there 
but  himself  since  that  pulley  was  last  used.     Of 


THE  landlord's  STORY  OF  OAK  ISLAND.        85 


course  he  asked  himself  what  the  meaning  of  all 
this  was  ;  and  to  liira  it  seemed  most  likely  that  the 
circular  space  marked  some  pit  in  the  ground,  and 
that  the  pulley  had  been  used  to  lower  things 
down  into  this  pit. 

"  Well,  he  went  home,  and  didn't  say  anything 
about  it  to  a  living  soul,  except  his  son,  a  young 
man,  whom  he  wanted  to  help  him.  He  determined 
to  examine  deeper,  and  after  talking  it  over  with 
his  son,  he  was  more  determined  than  ever.  So 
the  very  next  day  they  began  their  preparations, 
taking  over  picks,  and  spades,  and  ropes,  and  pro- 
visions, and  everything  that  could  be  needed  for 
their  purpose. 

"  They  went  to  work  and  dug  away  for  a  little 
distance,  when  they  came  to  something  hard.  It 
was  a  stone  hewn,  —  not  v^ry  smooth,  —  a  kind 
of  sandstone,  and  on  this  they  saw  some  marks 
that  looked  like  strange  letters.  They  were  igno- 
rant men,  but  they  knew  the  alphabet,  and  they 
knew  that  t!iis  was  no  kind  of  English  letters  at  all ; 
but  it  seemed  to  them  that  they  might  be  letters 
of  some  strange  alphabet.  They  took  this  stone 
away,  and  it's  been  preserved  ever  since,  and  it's 
there  yet  on  the  island,  built  into  the  wall  of  a 
•!ottage  there  for  safe  keeping.  I've  seen  it  my- 
self dozens  of  times.  That's  what  I  mean  when  I 
say  I've  seen  the  traces  of  Captain  Kidd,  for  it's  my 
solemn  conviction  that  he  cut  that  inscription  on 
the  stone  in  some  foreign  letters,  or  perhaps  in 
some  secret  cipher. 


86 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE   SEAS. 


i 


*'■  After  taking  out  that  stone,  tliey  went  on  dig- 
ging harder  than  ever,  and  about  two  feet  down 
they  came  to  a  sort  of  wooden  flooring.  The  wood 
was  in  good  preservation,  and  consisted  of  large 
logs,  a  dozen  feet  long,  laid  across  side  by  side, 
and  rough-hewed  about  six  inches  square.  They 
thought  that  they  had  come  to  the  money-hole 
now,  for  sure,  and  pulled  up  the  logs  quick  enough, 
you'd  better  believe ;  but  they  didn't  know  what 
was  before  them.  After  taking  up  the  beams, 
they  found  they  had  to  dig  deeper ;  and  so  they 
went  on  digging  away  deeper  and  deeper.  It  took 
a  long  time,  for  they  had  to  stay  up  the  earth  as 
they  dug  down,  to  prevent  it  from  falling  in,  and 
they  soon  found  that  the  job  was  a  bigger  one  than 
they  had  bargained  for  ;  but  what  they  had  already 
found  excited  them,  and  cheered  them  on  day 
after  day. 

"  Of  course  they  couldn't  do  this  all  in  one  day. 
One  day's  work  couldn't  take  them  far  into  that 
holo,  though  they  worked  like  beavers.  Well,  they 
dug  on  this  way,  and  at  last,  ai  out  five  or  six  feet 
farther  down, — some  say  ten;  but  it  don't  make  any 
difference,  —  they  found  another  flooring  just  like 
the  first,  only  the  logs  were  smaller.  These  they 
took  up,  and  IIkmi  wiuit  on  digging  a^^  before,  day 
after  day.  They  now  found  bits  of  things  that 
looked  favorable ;  they  found  cocoa  husks,  and 
West  India  grass,  and  bits  of  cane,  all  of  which 
showed  that  the  people  who  worked  here  must 


I  i 


THE  landlord's  STOBT  OF  OAK  ISLAND.        87 

have  had  something  to  do  with  the  West  Indies 
and  the  Spanish  Main.  These  things  never  grew 
in  Nova  Scotia.  They  had  been  brought  here  by  the 
men  that  made  the  hole,  and  had  got  mixed  up  with 
the  earth  that  they  shovelled  in.  They  also  found 
shavings  or  chips  made  with  tools.  Well,  about 
the  same  distance  down  that  the  second  flooring 
had  been  from  the  first,  they  found  a  third  flooring, 
which  was  just  like  the  second. 

"  At  this  third  flooring  there  was  a  fresh  disap- 
pointment, just  as  there  had  been  at  the  other  two; 
but  the  very  fact  that  there  was  this  flooring  en- 
couraged  them  to  go  on,  and  so  they  continued  to 
dig.  After  a  time  they  came  to  another  flooring, 
and  continuing  on,  they  came  to  another,  and  yet 
another ;  and  at  every  place  they  had  the  same  dis- 
appointment and  encouragement.  All  the  way  they 
found  the  same  signs,  that  the  soil  had  once  been 
turned  up  by  people  who  had  deaiings  with  the 
Spanish  Main,  for  the  cocoa-nut  husks  and  the 
West  India  grasses  were  mixed  with  the  soil  all 
the  way.  AH  the  time  they  had  to  kef)p  staying 
up  the  sides,  and  the  deeper  they  went,  the  more 
careful  they  had  to  be,  for  the  soil  seemed  loose 
and  dangerous  just  here. 

"  Well,  they  worked  this  way  for  about  three 
months,  and  at  last  had  got  ever  so  far  down  —  I 
have  heard  some  say  that  they  got  down  as  much  as  a 
hundreil  feet,  and  that  would  be  about  seventy  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  sea  at  low  tide,  for  the  island 


88 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


is  only  a  small  one,  and  doesn't  rise  more  than 
twenty-five  feet  at  tlie  highest  point.  All  the  way 
down  they  had  found  the  signs  continuing,  showing 
that  diggers  had  been  here  before,  and  tiiat  tlie 
soil  had  been  turned  up.  This  it  was  that  led 
them  on  to  such  a  depth. 

"  Well,  now  it  was  down  at  this  depth  that  they 
touched  the  treasure.  It  was  evening,  and  quite 
dark  down  there.  They  had  been  digging  all  day, 
and  were  about  to  just  knock  off.  The  son,  before 
going,  took  his  crowbar,  and  drove  it  with  all  his 
might  into  the  ground.  It  was  soft,  loose,  and 
gravelly  just  here,  and  the  iron  sank  for  about  a 
foot  into  the  soil,  and  struck  something  hard.  Their 
attention  was  attracted  by  this  at  once,  and  they 
tried  it  again  and  again.  Each  time  it  struck 
something  hard.  It  seemed  like  wood.  At  one  or 
two  places  it  seemed  like  metal.  They  tried  this  a 
good  many  times,  until  at  length  they  became  con- 
vinced that  this  was  a  wooden  box  with  iron  hoops 
or  fastenings,  and  that  this  box  contained  the  treas- 
ure for  which  they  were  searching.  But  by  this 
time  it  was  too  late  to  do  any  more.  To  get  at 
that  chest  would  require  a  good  day's  work.  To 
hoist  it ,  up  would  not  be  possible.  They  saw 
that  they  would  have  to  break  or  cut  into  it  as  it 
lay,  and  empty  it  of  its  contents.  They  were  also 
worn  out  with  their  long  day's  work,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  they  did  not  feel  comfortable  down  in 
that  particular  place  after  dark.     So,  for  all  these 


THE   landlord's  STORY   OP  OAK   ISLAND.         89 


reasons,  they  concluded  to  postpone  the  comple- 
tion of  their  work  till  the  following  day.  After  all, 
there  was  no  reason  why  they  shouldn't.  No  one 
could  come  and  take  it.  It  would  be  there  un- 
moved till  they  might  want  to  remove  it  them- 
selves. And  so  the  long  and  the  short  of  it  is, 
they  went  up,  and  went  off  to  sleep  in  the  hut 
where  they  lived. 

"  That  night  they  slept  soundly,  and  waked  a  lit- 
tle later  than  usual  on  the  following  day.  They  at 
once  rushed  to  the  money-hole ;  they  did  this  the 
moment  they  waked,  without  waiting  for  breakfast, 
or  taking  anything  to  eat.  They  both  felt  anxious, 
for  everything  was  at  stake,  and  the  sleep  of  both, 
though  sound,  had  been  marked  by  unpleasant  and 
harassing  dreams. 

"  Well,  they  reached  the  place,  and  there  an  aw- 
ful sight  met  them  —  a  sight  that  meant  ruination  to 
their  hopes,  and  to  all  the  hard  work  that  they'd  put 
forth  in  that  place.  The  hole  was  gone  ;  the  earth 
had  all  fallen  in  ;  the  stays  had  all  given  way  :  and 
there  was  nothing  there  now  but  a  basin-shaped 
hollow,  and  bits  of  board  projecting.  What  was 
worse,  it  was  all  mixed  with  water,  and  so  soft, 
that  in  attempting  to  walk  into  it,  they  sank  up  to 
their  knees  in  the  mud.  An(f  that  was  the  end  of 
this  first  digging  after  Kidd's  treasure  ;  for  though 
they  tried  to  dig  again,  they  found  it  impossible  on 
account  of  the  water.  It  seemed  to  come  straight 
from  the  sea,  and  they  couldn't  do  anything  at  aU. 
So  they  had  to  give  up  at  last,  and  go  home. 


I   i 


90 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"  Now,  some  people  think  that  the  staying  wasn't 
strong  enough,  and  the  sides  caved  in  on  that  ac- 
count; others,  again,  talk  about  Kidd's  ghost  baf- 
fling these  diggers;  but,  from  what  was  discovered 
afterwards,  1  feel  perfectly  sure  that  they  them- 
selves somehow  let  in  the  water  of  the  sea  into  the 
hole  by  a  drain  or  channel  underground  that  Kidd 
himself  had  made.  I  think  those  knocks  on  the 
chest  with  the  crowbar  loosened  some  stopper,  and 
the  water  poured  in  at  once.  It  was  this  rush  of 
sea  water  that  destroyed  everything,  and  roade  the 
hole  cave  in  altogether.  As  to  the  drain,  that  was  a 
contrivance  of  Kidd's  to  prevent  the  treasure  from 
being  dug  up  by  outsiders.  He  had  it  made 
underground  from  the  shore  of  the  island  at  low- 
water  mark  to  the  bottom  of  the  money-hole.  He 
himself,  or  any  one  in  the  secret,  would  know  how 
to  dig  and  get  the  treasure ;  but  any  one  who 
didn't  know  the  secret  would  be  sure  to  do  some- 
thing that  would  let  in  the  sea  water.  And  that's 
just  what  these  first  diggers  did. 

"  Well,  after  this  nothing  was  done  for  a  long 
time.  These  two,  father  and  son,  went  home,  and 
for  a  while  they  kept  the  whole  business  a  secret ; 
but  after  some  years  the  old  man  died,  and  the 
son  married,  and  so  the  whole  story  leaked  out, 
till  everybody  knew  all  about  it.  Everybody  went 
then  to  see  the  place,  and  the  story  soon  got  to 
be  as  well  known  as  the  alphabet  all  over  the  bay ; 
and  I  won't  swear  but  that  some  additions  were 


THE  landlord's  STORY   OP   OAK   ISLAND.         91 

made  to  4he  story  as  it  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
for  that  would  only  bo  natural,  after  all;  but  at 
any  ratt ,  that  story  lived,  and  people  didn't  forget 
the  treasure  on  Oak  Island.  And  so  time  passed, 
and  the  son  died  at  last,  and  the  grandson  grew  up, 
and  this  one  thought  that  he  would  make  a  dash  at 
the  treasure.  This  was  as  much  as  forty  years  after 
the  first  digging.  He  went  with  a  few  friends, 
and  they  tried  to  dig,  but  couldn't.  The  money- 
hole  remained  as  it>had  been  left  by  the  first  dig- 
gers, —  all  sand,  and  gravel,  and  water,  —  more 
like  a  quicksand  than  anything  else.  They  put 
a  pump  in  it,  and  set  it  to  work,  but  couldn't  do 
anything  that  way.     So  they  gave  it  up. 

"  Well,  these  operations  got  known  everywhere, 
and  the  whole  story  came  up  again.  A  lot  of  men 
formed  themselves  into  a  company,  the  grandson 
was  one  of  them.  They  bought  the  island,  and 
resolved  to  go  to  work  on  a  grand  scale.  They 
rigged  a  pump  which  was  worked  by  a  horse  in  a 
very  peculiar  fashion,  and  had  a  hoisting  apparatus 
worked  by  another  horse  to  lift  up  the  dirt.  They 
got  a  lot  of  wood  on  the  place  for  stayinga  to 
the  hole,  and  went  to  work.  Before  they  began, 
they  bored  down  for  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet. 
On  taking  mi  the  auger,  they  saw  on  the  lowest 
part  scrapt  of  svood,  then  bright  scrapings  that 
looked  like  gold,  then  wood  again.  And  this 
showed  that  the  auger  had  gone  clean  through  the 
chest,  and  had  brought  back  signs  of  the  chest  it- 


h 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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1.1 


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14.0 


2.0 


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23  WBT  MAW  STRUT 

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^ 


92 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE   SEAS. 


self,  and  of  the  treasure  inside.  Thia  created  the 
greatest  excitement,  and  the  company  went  to 
work  as  eagerly  and  as  industriously  as  the  original 
diggers.  Well,  they  kept  at  it,  and  dug,  and 
hoisted,  and  pumped  for  a  whole  summer;  but  it 
was  no  go.  As  fast  as  they  pumped,  the  water 
poured  in,  and  faster  too ;  and  in  fact,  they  couldn't 
make  the  slightest  impression  on  the  water  in  the 
money-hole,  do  what  they  would.  So  they  gave  up. 
"  Well,  after  this,  another  company  started. 
The  new  company  bought  out  from  the  old  all  its 
rights,  and  started  on  a  new  plan.  Many  of  the 
old  company  belonged  to  the  new  one,  and  these 
had  learned  by  experience  the  impossibility  of  do- 
ing anything  by  digging  in  the  money-hole  itself. 
The  new  plan  consisted  in  digging  a  new  hole  alto- 
geiher.  In  the  operations  of  the  old  company  they 
had  discovered  that  though  the  money-hole  was  all 
sand  and  gravel,  yet  all  around  it  the  soil  was  a 
hard  blue  clay,  quite  impervious  to  water,  and  very 
easy  to  work  in.  They  thought  by  digging  along- 
side the  money-hole,  as  near  as  the  clay  would 
allow,  they  might  go  down  to  the  same  depth,  and 
then  tunnel  along  at  the  bottom  till  they  reached 
the  treasure  chest.  So  they  went  to  work  about 
thirty  feet  away  from  the  money-hole,  digging  in 
the  clay.  They  had  no  trouble  in  digging.  The 
soil  was  free  from  stones,  firm  clay,  impervious  to 
water,  and  they  made  first  rate  progress  to  a  cer- 
tain extent.    They  got  down  about  a  hundred  feet, 


a 


iiit 

in 

ihe 

Ito 

)r- 


.>^ 


THE  landlord's  STORY  OP  OAK  ISLAND.        93 

and  then  ventured  to  tunnel  towards  the  money- 
hole.  They  worked  very  carefully,  for  it  waa 
rather  dangerous,  as  they  were  under  the  level  of 
the  sea,  and  were  therefore  exposed  to  a  rush  of 
water  at  any  false  movement  that  they  might 
make.  But  in  spite  of  all  their  care,  vhey  failed  at 
last ;  for  one  day  they  went  up  to  dinner,  and  on 
going  back  again,  they  found  the  new  hole  filled 
with  water  to  within  thirty  feet  or  so  of  the  top. 
It  was  a  sore  disappointment,  and  they  could  only 
console  themselves  by  the  thought  that  they  had 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  left  the  hole  at  that 
particular  time.  They  tried  to  pump  out  the 
water,  and  made  some  faint  efforts  to  continue  their 
work,  but  it  was  no  use.  The  failure  had  been  too 
great,  and  this  attempt  broke  down. 

"  Well, they  now  concluded  that  there  was  a  drain, 
—  the  same  one  I  spoke  rf  a  while  ago,  —  reach- 
ing from  the  shore  of  the  island  at  low-water  mark, 
or  beneath  it,  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  money- 
hole,  and  that  they  had  somehow  broken  into  this 
drain,  the  waters  of  which  had  poured  into  the 
new  hole,  and  flooded  it.  This  discovery  created 
fresh  excitement ;  and  as  this  company  gave  up,  a 
new  one  was  formed,  which  bought  out  all  previous 
rights,  and  on  the  following  summer  proceeded  to 
make  a  fresh  attempt.  Each  one  of  these  compa- 
nies which  had  been  bought  out  still  retained,  how- 
ever, a  claim  on  the  profits  that  might  be  made ; 
sometimes  twenty  per  cent,  and  sometimes  ten  per 


94 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


cent,  of  the  treasure.  The  new  company,  even  if 
it  had  succeeded,  could  only  have  received  about 
one  fifth,  or  perhaps  one  fourth,  of  the  treasure,  the 
rest  being  all  forfeited,  or  mortgaged,  so  to  speak, 
to  the  old  companies.  Still  the  new  company 
had  many  members  who  belonged  to  the  old  com- 
panies, and  who  still  stuck  to  the  enterprise 
through  thick  and  thin,  so  that  their  undertaking, 
under  such  circumstances,  is  not  so  surprising, 
after  all. 

"  This  new  company,  using  the  experience  and 
discoveries  of  the  preceding  ones,  went  on  a 
new  principle.  The  idea  now  was,  that,  first  of 
all,  the  drain  should  be  discovered,  and  the  supply 
of  water  intercepted.  If  this  were  done,  they 
would  be  able  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  the  original 
money-hole  itself  without  any  trouble.  So  they  set 
to  work,  and  explored  the  whole  shore  of  the  island. 
They  found  one  place  where  at  low  tide  there  was 
a  great  bubbling  in  the  water,  and  this  they  took 
for  the  place  where  the  drain  began.  Here  they 
built  a  coflcr  dam,  and  then  tried  to  find  the 
drain  itself.  On  the  shore  they  met  with  no  suc- 
cess; so  they  dug  pits  at  intervals  along  a  line 
stretching  from  the  coffer  dam  to  the  money- 
hole.  The  soil  in  all  these  places  consisted  of 
that  same  tenacious  blue  clay  which  I  have 
already  mentioned.  I  don't  know  how  many  of 
these  were  dug,  but  there  were  several,  at  any 
rate.     Now,  whenever  they  attempted  to  strike  the 


THE  landlord's  STORT  OF  OAK  ISLAND.         95 

drain,  the  water  was  invariably  too  much  for  them, 
and  rushed  in,  giving  them  nothing  to  do  but  to  fly 
as  fast  as  <.hey  could.  In  other  places  they  were 
afraid  to  venture  too  near  the  drain.  The  end  of  it 
was,  that  this  last  companv  was  as  unsuccessful  as 
the  others,  though  it  Lad  spent  ten  times  as  much 
as  any  of  them." 


96 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


VlTl 


The  To'lers  of  the  Sea.  —  New  Efforts  to  find  the 
Plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main.  —  Modern  Science 
versus  Captain  Kidd.  — The  Landlord's  Faith. 
—  Scoffers  and  Mockers  at  the  Money-hole.  —  Ob- 
jections considered.  —  Tlie  Timber  Floorings.  — 
Tlie  SfonCf  with  its  mysterious  Inscription.  — Tfie 
Gravel  pit,  with  its  Surroundings  o/blus  Clay. — 
The  Drain  from  the  Sea  to  the  Money-hole. 

0,  you  see,"  said  the  landlord,  "  how  all  these 
efforts  to  get  at  the  treasure  have  failed ; 
and  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  the  reason,  ei- 
ther. For,  you  see,  as  I  have  already  said,  the 
money-hole  has  been  all  filled  in  with  sand  and 
gravel,  and  there  is  a  drain,  or  channel,  connecting 
with  the  sea,  which  lets  in  the  sea  water ;  so,  the 
moment  any  one  undertakes  to  touch  the  money- 
hole,  he  has  to  contend  with  the  sea  itself,  and 
there  hasn't,  thus  far,  been  force  enough  put  forth 
there  to  do  that.  Tiio  money-hole  is  something 
peculiar.  All  around  it  the  soil  is  this  blue  clay. 
No  doubt  the  soil  where  this  was  first  dug  was 
blue  clay  also;  but,  after  burying  the  treasure, 


THE  LANDLORD*S  STORT  OF  OAK  ISLAND.        97 


Kidd,  for  his  own  crafty  purposes,  filled  it  up  with 
this  gravel.  No  doubt  his  idea  was,  that  the  sea 
water  should  affect  it  the  more  thoroughly,  and  make 
it  like  a  great  quicksand.  The  pumps  they  set  up 
there  did  no  more  good  than  if  they  were  so 
many  toys. 

"  Well,  the  failure  of  the  last  company  has  been 
followed  by  a  pause,  partly  on  account  of  discour- 
agement, but  still  more  from  the  determination,  on 
the  part  of  a  few,  to  begin  again  on  a  grand  scale ; 
on  a  scale,  indeed,  so  grand,  that  it  will  take  some 
time  I )  make  all  the  preparations.  Some  of  the 
leaders  in  the  previous  undertakings  are  at  the 
head  of  this  new  movement,  and  havo  already  done 
very  much  towards  putting  it  into  life  and  action. 
This  new  plan  is  to  get  up  a  regular  joint  stock 
company,  with  a  thousand  shares,  each  worth  a 
hundred  dollars,  or  thereabouts.  It  will  be  a  reg- 
ular  company ;  the  shares  will  be  sold  in  the  market, 
and  the  stockholders  will  stand  in  the  same  relation 
to  this  business  as  they  would  to  a  coal  mine,  or 
any  other  ordinary  undertaking.  They'll  have  a 
president,  a  board  of  directors,  and  a  superintend- 
ent of  the  mining  works.  It  is  proposed  to  employ 
a  regular  engineer  to  survey  the  ground,  and  de- 
sign the  best  mode  of  going  to  work ;  to  put  up  a 
steam  engine  of  sufficient  power  to  pump  out  the 
money-hole,  and  keep  a  large  force  of  men  at  work, 
night  and  day,  in  separate  detachments.  The  idea 
I 


08 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


is,  to  do  it  up  as  fast  as  possible,  and  get  at  it  once 
for  all,  or  fail  utterly. 

"  Now,  this  company  is  already  started,  and 
about  a  quarter  of  the  stock  has  been  taken  up.  I 
shouldn't  be  surprised  to  see  them  set  to  work 
next  year,  or  tlie  year  after,  at  the  farthest.  The 
thing  is  bound  to  go  on.  Besides  those  who  be- 
lieve that  the  treasure  is  here,  there  are  ever  bo 
many  who  wish  to  see  the  mystery  cleared  up, 
irrespective  of  any  treasure.  These  men  are 
going  into  the  new  company  almost  as  extensively 
as  those  who  believe  in  the  money.  Then,  again, 
there  are  ever  so  many  people  about  the  country 
who  have  heard  about  it  for  the  first  time,  and  are 
taking  shares  just  as  they  would  buy  tickets  in  a 
lottery ;  not  because  they  expect  to  make  anything, 
exactly,  but  because  they  are  willing  to  run  the 
risk,  and  take  their  chance. 

"  This  sort  of  tiling,  of  course,  has  a  far  different 
prospect  from  what  the  old  companies  had.  It 
puts  the  whole  plan  on  a  different  footing.  It 
makes  it,  in  fact,  a  thoroughly  legitimate  business, 
and  sets  on  aa  sound  a  basis  as  if  it  was  an  iron 
or  coal  mining  company.  A  real,  practical  en- 
gineer —  a  man  who  is  a  practical  geologist  also 
—  could  tell  more  about  Oak  Island  in  one  walk 
round  it,  than  the  other  workers  found  out  in 
years.  He  could  find  out  the  real  place  where  the 
sea  water  enters;  whether  there  is  one  only,  or 
more  than  one.    When  once  that  is  found  out^  and 


THE   landlord's  STORY   OP  OAK   ISLAND.         99 


stopped,  the  rest  is  easy.  But,  if  they  can't  stop 
it,  why,  then,  let  the  steam  pump  go  to  work,  and  1 
don't  think  the  money-hole  would  be  flooded  much 
longer.  Then,  again,  the  jilan  of  having  two  gangs 
to  work  night  and  day,  so  as  to  have  no  stoppage 
in  the  operations,  will  be  a  most  important  thing. 
And  so,  what  with  modern  science,  and  steam,  and 
continuous  work  of  large  gangs,  even  old  Kidd 
himself '11  find  his  match. 

"The  fact  is,  the  gold  is  there  —  tJie  treasure 
of  Captain  Kidd  —  brought  here  by  him,  and  buried 
in  that  hole.  1  no  more  doubt  that  than  I  doubt 
my  own  existence.  If  'hat  hole  had  never  been 
touched,  and  people  went  to  work  now  at  the  fresh 
ground,  I  believe  the  treasure  would  be  got  at. 
Why,  the  first  diggers  almost  got  it,  though  there 
were  only  two  of  them.  The  gold  is  there  — 
there's  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  that  —  a  treasure 
beyond  all  estimate  —  worth  millions  on  millions, 
no  doubt — goldjand  silver  ingots  —  the  plunder 
of  Spanish  cathedrals  and  Spanish  galleons  —  dia- 
monds and  rubies —  and  all  that.  Millions?  Why, 
it's  equal  in  value  to  the  revenue  of  a  great  nation. 
Tiiere  it  is;  and  all  it  wants  is  for  people  to  go  to 
work  in  the  right  way;  not  in  a  pettifogging, 
mean,  peddling  fashion,  but  in  a  large-handed,  bold, 
vigorous  way.  That's  the  thing  that'll  fetch  up 
the  plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main  !  I've  sometimes 
heard  people  say  that  there  was  once  a  great  con- 
federacy of  pirates  that  made  this  bay  their  bead 


100 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


quarters,  and  that  Captain  Kidd  was  the  last  and 
greatest  of  the  brotherhood.  Until  his  time  the 
plunder  had  been  kept  in  a,  safe  place,  but  in  a 
place  where  it  could  be  got  at ;  but  that  he,  being 
the  last  of  the  brotherhood,  determined  to  fix  up 
some  safer  place,  and  so  he  arranged  this  place  — 
the  hole  and  the  drain ;  and  if  that's  so,  we  have 
here  not  merely  the  plunder  of  Captain  Kidd  him- 
self, but  of  all  the  pirates,  for  no  one  knows  how 
long  a  time  —  centuries,  I  dare  say." 

To  all  this  extraordinary  story  the  boys  had 
listened  with  the  deepest  attention.  The  land- 
lord's announcement  of  his  own  belief  in  it  was 
to  them  very  impressive,  and  his  extravagant  con- 
clus  'id  not  seem  at  all  extravagant  to  them. 
It  t  .  vied  perfectly  with  what  they  had  heard 
from  the  governor  of  Sable  Island.  They  were 
most  profoundly  impressed,  and  the  treasure  island 
seemed  to  them  more  attractive  than  ever.  The 
landlord's  mind  seemed  to  be  filled  with  a  vision 
of  inconceivable  treasure,  and  by  long  familiarity 
with  the  thought,  it  seemed  quite  natural  to  him  to 
speak  so  glibly  about  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious 
stones,  atid  all  the  rest  that  went  to  make  up  the 
plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main. 

Bart  and  Pat  were  not  critical ;  none  of  the  boys 
were.  This  remark  has  already  been  made  in  con- 
nection with  the  story  of  the  governor  of  Sable 
Island.  Had  they  been  critical,  they  could  have 
picked  various  holes  in  this  narrative,  and  asked 


QUESTIONS  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  STORT.         101 


qnostions  to  wliich  it  would  have  boon  difficult  for 
tlio  landlord,  or  any  other  believer  in  Kidd's  treas- 
ure, to  give  any  sufficient  answer.  They  might 
have  asked  how  it  was  that  the  tradition  about  the 
early  diggers  had  been  so  minute,  and  why  it  •  v.^, 
that  no  competent  scholar  or  archaeologist  had 
been  found  who  might  decipher  the  inscription  on 
the  stone.  They  might  have  asked  how  it  was 
that  the  so-called  "  drain  "  had  been  discovered,  and 
also  how  it  was  that  Kidd's  so-called  "  place  "  was 
known  so  accurately.  But  they  were  not  at  -all 
critically  inclined,  and  the  questions  which  they 
did  ask  were  of  a  totally  different  kind. 

They  did  ask  questions,  of  course  ;  and  the  ques- 
tions referred  to  the  chief  points  in  the  landlord's 
story.  They  had  much  to  ask  about  t!)e  first  dis- 
covery, tlie  size  of  the  island,  the  appearance  of 
the  blasted  circular  spot,  of  the  tree  and  the  pro- 
jecting bough ;  about  the  pulley  and  its  chain ; 
about  the  log  floorings,  their  number,  their  distance 
apart,  and  their  probable  use  in  a  money-hole; 
about  the  West  Indian  grass,  the  cocoa-nut  husks, 
and  the  sugar-cane,  which  w.ere  the  signs  of  some 
connection  with  the  Spanish  Main ;  about  the  shav- 
ings and  chips  of  wood ;  about  the  gravelly  soil, 
contrasting  with  the  blue  clay  around  it :  about  the 
eventful  moment  when  the  first  diggers  touched 
the  money-box  with  the  crowbar,  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  work  durii.g  the  night.  They  asked 
also,  very  minutely,  about  the  stone  with  the  in- 


102 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


pcription,  ita  kind  and  its  size,  and  why  it  should 
have  bocn  inserted  into  the  chimney  of  a  hut ; 
about  the  drain,  its  size,  and  whether  it  was  built 
of  wood,  or  brick,  or  stono  ;  and  about  tht  nature 
of  the  signs  brought  up  by  the  auger  when  they 
bored  through  the  money-box. 

All  these  questions  showed  how  close  had  been 
the  attention  with  which  they  had  listened.  To 
every  one  of  them,  without  exception,  the  land- 
lord responded  in  the  most  unhesitating  and  the 
most  comprehensive  "  nnner.  It  was  evident  that 
he  had  turned  over  every  point  in  his  mind  that 
they  now  suggested;  that  he  was  familiar  with 
every  objection,  and  was. armed  and  equipped  at 
all  points  with  facts  and  arguments  to  sustaiu 
his  theory. 

That  there  were  plenty  of  objections  to  that 
theory  became  evident  from  the  landlord's  own 
very  frequent  allusions  to  them,  and  it  seemed,  by 
the  way  in  which  he  spoke  of  them,  as  though  he 
himself  had  often  and  often  done  battle  with  scorn- 
ful or  sceptical  opponents. 

"  For  my  own  part,"  said  the  landlord,  "  I  don't 
tliink  much  of  any  of  these  objections.  Objections 
are  easy  enough  to  make.  You  can  make  them  to 
anything  you  like  —  or  don't  like.  The  truest 
things  in  the  world  meet  with  lots  of  unbelievers, 
who  offer  objections.  Now,  I  know  this  whole 
story  to  be  true,  and  I  don't  value  the  objections 
a  rush. 


OBJECTIONS   ANSWERED. 


103 


"  One  objection,  for  instance,  is,  that  tho  story  of 
the  firat  diggers  ims  been  exaggerated  in  every 
particular.  In  passing  from  mouth  to  mouth,  they 
say,  each  one  lias  added  to  it,  and  that  all  the  little 
circumstances  that  I  have  mentioned  have  been 
either  thrown  in  to  make  up  a  story,  or  colored  so 
as  to  favor  a  belief  in  the  money-hole.  Now,  as  to 
that,  all  I  can  say  is,  that  the  two  men  always  told 
a  straight  story,  without  any  additiuns,  and  the 
younger  one  lived  down  to  my  timo,  und  so  could 
easily  be  referred  to  by  any  one.  He  always  made 
the  same  statement. 

"  A  great  objection  is,  that  two  men  could  never 
have  dug  down  so  iar,  and  stayed  up  the  sides  of 
the  pit,  as  the  story  said  they  did.  It  has  been 
asserted  that  they  couldn't  have  dug  down  more 
than  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  and  that  they  probably 
got  down  that  far  when  they  came  to  the  water, 
which  prevented  them  from  going  any  farther.  To 
which  I  answer,  not  only  that  two  men  could  have 
dug  a  hundred  feet,  but  that  they  have  done  so, 
over  and  over,  on  the  same  ground,  for- in  the  holes 
made  since,  it  isn't  possible  for  n^ore  than  two  to 
work  at  the  same  time.  The  shafts  are  only  about 
six  feet  long  by  three  wide,  and  in  that  space  there 
isn't  room  for  more  than  two,  of  course. 

"  When  I  find  men  who  don't  believe  in  Kidd's 
treasure,  and  asi;'  them  what  could  have  been  there, 
they  make  various  answers ;  but  the  favorite  one 
is,  that  it  was  some  sort  of  a  signal-station.    But, 


104 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


unfortunately,  Oak  Island  is  the  last  place  about 
here  that  one  could  think  of  for  such  a  purpose  as 
that.  StHl,  that  is  what  they  urge,  and  they  say 
that  the  timber  floorings  were  probably  intended 
as  a  foundation.  When  I  ask  them  why  there  were 
80  many  timber  floorings,  they  quietly  deny  the 
fact.  They  say  that  there  might  have  been  one 
or  two  such  floorings,  to  the  depth  of  perhaps  ten 
feet,  or  so,  but  won't  believe  any  more.  When  1 
point  to  the  testimony  of  the  surviving  one  of  the 
first  diggers,  they  deny  the  value  of  it,  and  say 
that  it  is  only  the  exaggeration  of  an  old  man,  who 
has  been  telling  the  same  tall  story  for  years,  till 
it  has  grown  to  its  present  diitaensions.  And  when 
people  choose  to  argue  in  that  style,  and  reject  the 
best  sort  of  evidence  that  there  can  be,  why,  of 
course,  there's  an  end  of  all  discussion.  They  set 
out  with  a  blind  prejudice,  deny  plain  faots,  or  ex- 
plain them  away  in  the  most  fanciful  manner,  and 
then  turn  round  and  ridicule  those  who  believe  iu 
what  is  as  plain  as  day.'' 

The  landlord  was  silent  for  a  moment,  overcome 
by  a  kind  of  mild  indignation  at  the  sceptic  of 
whom  he  spoke,  after  which  be  proceeded. 

''Then  there's  that  stone  with  the  mysteriona 
inscription.  It's  been  seen  by  hundreds.  No  one 
has  ever  been  found  ye'  who  can  make  out  what  it 
means.  As  I  said  before,  it  is  either  some  foreign 
language,  or  else,  as  is  quite  probable,  it  is  some 
secret  cipher,  known  only  to  Kidd  himself —  per- 


I 


f 


if 


OBJECTIONS  ANSWERED. 


105 


V' 


< 


haps  11  sod  by  the  great  pirate  confederacy.  If. 
shows,  more  than  anything  else,  that  this  hole  was 
dug  by  Captain  Kidd,  and  that  his  treasure  is 
there.  Now,  how  do  you  suppose  they  get  over 
that?" 

And  with  this  question  the  landlord  looked  ear- 
nestly and  solemnly  at  the  two  boys. 

The  two  boys  couldn't  imagine  how  anybody 
could  get  over  it;  though  Bart  could  not  help 
wondering  a  little  how  it  came  that,  if  the  inscrip- 
tion could  not  be  deciphered,  the  landlord  should 
neverthoiess  know  so  well  that  it  referred  to  Cap- 
tain Kidd. 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  said  the  landlord,  "  the  way  they 
get  over  it.  They  have  the  impudence  to  say  that 
it  isn't  an  inscription  at  all.  Actually,  because 
no  one  can  decipher  it,  they  say  it  ain't  an  in- 
scription !  They  say  it's  only  some  accidental 
scratches  I  Now,  I  allow,"  continued  the  landlord, 
"that  the  marks  are  rather  faint,  and  irregular; 
but  how  any  man  can  look  at  them,  and  say  that 
they're  not  an  inscription  —  how  any  man  can  look 
at  them  and  say  that  they're  accidei.  ai  scratches — 
is  a  thing  that  makes  me  fairly  dumb  with  amaze- 
ment 

"  Well,  then  there  are  other  things,  too,"  con- 
tinued the  landlord,  "which  they  handle  in  the 
same  manner.  One  of  the  strangest  things  about 
this  whole  story  is  the  fact  that  the  soil  in  the 
money-hole  is  different  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the 


106 


THE  TREASURE  OF  TUE  SEA3. 


island,  being  sand  and  gravel;  whereas  the  rest 
of  the  island,  as  I  told  you,  is  blue  clay.  It's  just 
as  if  a  hole  was  dug  in  the  blue  clay,  and  then  filled 
in  with  sand  and  gravel  brought  from  somewhere 
else.     Well,  how  do  you  think  they  get  over  this  ?  " 

Again  the  landlord  looked  inquiringly  at  the 
two  boys. 

Again  the  two  boys  gave  it  up. 

"  Why,"  said  the  landlord,  "  they  get  over  it  in 
the  usual  fashion.  They  say  it  isn't  a  fact  that  the 
island  is  blue  clay,  but  that  there's  streaks  and 
patches  of  gravel  all  over  it,  and  the  two  men  hit 
upon  a  place  where  the  soil  was  sandy  and  gravelly. 
That's  the  way  they  get  over  that  point;  and  I'd 
like  to  ask  any  man  if  that's  fair ;  if  that's  honest ; 
if  that's  decent.  Yet  that's  the  way  they  talk  — 
when  they  can  go  to  the  island,  and  see  wherever 
fresh  holes  have  been  dug,  the  blue  clay  is  turned 
up.  But  when  I  point  out  that,  they  say,  *  0, 
that's  because  the  holes  are  all  dug  on  that  one 
side  of  the  island  where  the  blue  clay  is.' 

"  Then,  again,  there's  the  drain,"  continued  the 
landlord.  "  Now,  if  any  one  thing  is  an  established 
fact,  next  to  the  buried  money  —  it's  Kidd's  drain. 
It's  been  broken  into  time  after  time.  It's  flooded 
hole  aft  -r  hole.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  this,  they  say 
that  there  isn't  any  drain  at  all ;  that  there's  merely 
Roiae  loose  soil  on  the  island,  or  some  subterranean 
passage,  made  by  nature,  through  which  the  sea 
water  passes,  and  that  the  bottom  of  the  so-called 


DRAIN  FROM  THE  SEA  TO  THE  MONEY-HOLE.   107 


money-hole  has  been  connected  with  this.  Some 
say,  that  as  the  island  is  small,  the  sea  water 
trickles  through  the  soil,  in  some  places,  all 
the  way  across.  So,  of  course,  these  men,  shut- 
ting their  eyes  obstinately  to  hard  facts,  laugh  at 
the  very  idea  of  a  drain.  And  that's  the  sort  of 
objections  that  we  have  to  meet  1 "  concluded  the 
landlord,  with  a  snort  of  contempt. 

"Is  any  one  working  on  Oak  Island  now?'* 
asked  Bart,  after  a  pause. 

"  Well,  no,  not  just  now.  There  isn't  a  soul  on 
the  island.  Since  the  last  company  gave  up,  no 
one  has  touched  the  works  —  except,  occasionally, 
some  visitors.  Everything  is  standing  there  — 
the  pumps,  the  hoisting  tackle,  and  all  that.  You'll 
see  the  holes  all  about;  and  the  money-hole  can 
easi]5'  be  known,  for  it  is  a  hollow  in  the  ground, 
shaped  like  a  bowl,  close  by  the  largest  pump, 
with  a  deep  hole  beside  it,  full  of  water ;  for,  unfor- 
tunately, they  struck  the  drain  too  soon,  and  of 
course  the  water  rushed  upon  them." 

At  this  point  the  landlord  recollected  some  busi- 
ness that  he  had  to  attend  to,  and  rising  to  hh 
feet,  he  slowly  sauntered  away. 


108 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


IX. 

Bart  and  Pat  iaJee  a  Walk.  —  A  Conversation.  — 
Pai  makes  a  Suggestion.  —  Bart  adopts  it.  —  A 
Tunnd  to  the  Treasure  of  the  Sea,  —  A  Plot 
kept  secret  from  the  others.  —  Plans  for  Aspot- 
ogon.  —  Keeping  their  own  Counsel.  —  Bart  and 
Pat  set  forth,  — r  Stealing  a  Boat.  —  The  Search 
for  the  Treasure  Island. —  77ie  Intelligent  Na- 
tive. —  A  neio  Wa7j  of  getting  at  the  Treasure. 
—  Blood  and  Thunder! — Once  more  on  the 
Way.  —  TJie  Pirates^  Isle  I 


|b||^HE  landlord's  story  had  produced  a  very  pro- 
Xk^  found  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the 
•^^  boys,  and  the  reiterated  emphasis  which 
he  placed  upon  the  treasure  supposed  to  be  buried 
there  did  not  fail  to  kindle  their  imaginations  to  a 
wonderful  degree.  But  together  with  this  excite- 
ment, and  astonishment  at  the  magnitude  of  the 
supposed  treasure,  there  wore  also  other  feelings, 
which  latter  tended  to  repel  them  as  much  as  the 
former  tended  to  attract  them.  These  feelings 
consisted  of  discouragement  and  disappointment, 
at  learning  the  insuperable  difficulties  that  lay  in 


BART  AND  PAT  TAKE  A  WALK. 


109 


the  way,  and  at  bearing  the  story  of  repeated 
failures.  Efforts  had  been  made,  as  they  now 
know,  far  greater  than  any  which  were  possible  to 
their  feeble  arms ;  and  in  every  case  the  money- 
diggers,  whether  digging  in  person  or  by  deputy, 
had  failed  utterly  and  miserably,  each  one  only 
learning  of  some  new  difficulty  which  necessitated 
still  more  arduous  toils. 

As  the  landlord  strolled  off,  Bart  and  Pat  moved 
away  also  up  the  hill  towards  the  back  part  of  the 
town  ;  and  here  they  sat  on  a  secluded  grassy 
slope,  looking  down  into  the  back  bay,  whose  blue 
waters  lay  at  their  feet. 

"  Sure  an  it's  a  great  thing  entirely,  so  it  is," 
said  Pat,  "  an  that's  all  about  it." 

"  I  hadn't  any  idea,"  said  Bart,  "  that  people 
knew  so  much  about  it.  I  didn't  imagine  that  any- 
body had  tried  to  dig  there." 

"  Sure  an  it's  natural  enough  for  them  to  do  that 
same,  if  they  thought  there  was  money  in  it." 

"  Of  course  it  was,  an  that's  the  very  thing  we 
haven't  been  taking  into  account."  ' 

"  Faith,  an  that  same's  true  for  yon,  thin ;  niver 
a  bit  did  we  take  it  into  account.  Haven't  we 
been  making  a  wonderful  secret  of  it,  when  all  the 
wurruld  knows  it  like  A,  B,  C." 

"  Yes,  and  what's  worse,  at  this  very  moment 
they  are  sending  out  agents  in  all  directions,  all 
over  the  province,  I  dare  say,  to  try  to  get  people 
to  take  stock  in  the  new  mining  company.     Why, 


110 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


every  body  must  know  all  about  Oak  Island,  1 
don't  see  how  wo  never  heard  of  it  before." 

"  Deed,  thin,  an  I  think  they  must  have  kept  it 
all  to  thimselves  here  in  Chester,  so  I  do,  or  ii]fio 
we'd  have  heard  some  talk  about  it  at  school,  so 
we  would ;  an  if  there's  any  talk  about  it  now 
through  the  country,  it's  something  new  entirely, 
so  it  is,  and  is  the  doin  of  this  new  company, 
sure." 

"  I  don't  see  what  we  can  do,"  said  Bart,  in  a 
dejected  tone ;  "  we  can't  do  a  single  thing." 

"  Sure,  thin,"  said  Pat,  "  but  it's  meself  that's 
been  thinkin  different :  an  I  don't  know  now  but 
what  the  chances  for  us  are  better  thin  they  were 
before." 

"  Chances  for  us  better  ?  What  in  the  world  do 
you  mean  by  that  ?  "asked  Bart,  in  surprise. 

"  Sure  an  it's  plain  enough.  Ye  see  that  treas- 
ure was  a  hundred  feet  an  more  under  ground,  an 
so  it  was  clane  beyond  anything  that  we  could  do. 
But  these  companies  have  been  a  work  in,  an  a 
diggin,  an  a  pumpin,  an  a  borin  holes  all  about,  an 
we've  got  that  much  of  the  work  done." 

"  Yes,  but  what  good  '11  that  do  us?  These  holes 
weren't  any  good  to  the  companies.  They  couldn't 
get  to  the  money-hole,  after  all." 

*'  Yis,  but  sure  an  may  be  they  didn't  go  to  work 
the  right  way." 

"  0,  I  dare  say  they  did  all  that  could  be  done ; 
and  I  don't  see  how  anybody  could  do  any  more, 


A    CONVERSATION. 


HI 


except  they  get  a  steam  engine,  the  way  they  're 
going  to  do." 

"O,  snre^n  that's  all  very  well ;  but  still,  whin  the 
holes  are  already  bored,  the  hardest  of  the  work's 
done ;  an  a  handy  boy  might  be  more  use  than  a 
stame  ingin,  so  he  miglit.  Sure  an  I'd  like  to  see 
meself  at  the  bottom  of  one  of  thim  pits  that's 
nearest  to  the  money-hole.  I'd  make  a  grab  for 
the  trisure,  so  I  would." 

"  Pooh,  n'onsens'e  1     What  could  you  do  ?  " 

"  Sure  I'd  make  a  dash  for  it.  There's  nothin 
like  tryin.  Nothin  venture,  nothin  have.  I've  got 
a  notion  that  a  body  migiit  make  a  bit  of  a  tunnel 
in  under  there,  an  git  at  the  money-box.  At  any 
rate  it's  worth  tryin  for,  so  it  is." 

"  A  tunnel  1 "  exclaimed  Bart.  "  I  never  thought 
of  that.  Do  you  really  think  that  yoa  could 
doit?" 

"  Why  not  ?  "  said  Pat.  "  Sure  I've  seen  it  done. 
All  ye've  got  to  do  is  to  lave  an  archway,  an  there 
it  is.  It'll  howld  till  doomsday.  A  tunnel  is  it  ? 
Sure  I'd  like  to  see  meself  down  there  with  a  bit 
of  a  pick,  an  I'd  soon  have  the  tunnel.  An  be- 
sides, it's  only  blue  clay  I'd  have  to  work  in." 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Bart,  in  great  excitement.  "  Ho 
said  blue  clay.  It's  only  in  the  money-hole  where 
the  sand  and  gravel  are." 

"  An  blue  clay,"  said  Pat,  "  to  my  mind,  is  as 
aisy  cuttin  as  chalk  or  chaise.  It's  like  cuttin  into 
buttber,  so  it  is.     Why,  there's  uothio  in  the  wide 


112 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


wiirrnld  to  hender  you  an  me  from  goin  down  tliere 
an  tunnelin  through  the  blue  clay  from  the  nearest 
pit  straight  into  the  money-hole.*' 

"  But  what  can  we  do  about  the  water  rushing 
in?  "asked  Bart. 

"  Sure  an  we  can  only  try,"  said  Pat.  "  If  we 
can' t  kape  the  water  out,  we'll  give  up.  But  we 
may  work  along  so  as  to  kape  clear  of  the  water." 

"  But  can  we  do  that?  "  asked  Bart. 

"  Do  it?  "  said  Pat.  "  Sure  an  what's  to  hender 
us?" 

"  The  other  workmen  couldn't,  you  know,"  said 
Bart. 

"I  don't  know  it,"  said  Pat,  "an  you  don't, 
either.  How  do  we  know  that  they  ever  tried? 
They  dug  the  pits  to  try  and  stop  the  drain ;  that's 
what  they  tried  to  do.  But  we're  a  goin  to  try  to 
tunnel  into  the  money-hole  ;  an  there's  all  the  dif- 
ference in  the  wurruld  between  the  two,  so  there 
is.  Besides,  there's  no  harrum  in  tryin.  If  we 
can't  do  it  we  can  come  back,  an  no  harrum  done." 

"Shall  we  tell  the  other  fellows?"  said  Bart, 
after  a  thoughtful  pause. 

"  Sorra  a  one  of  them,"  said  Pat.  "  Tell  them, 
is  it?  Not  me.  What  for?  Sure  only  two  can 
work  in  a  hole  at  a  time,  an  that's  me  an  you  ;  an 
what  do  we  want  of  any  more  ?  We'll  tell  them 
after  we've  got  the  trisure ;  and  thin  we'll  all  go 
halves  all  around,  so  wo  will :  only  we'll  have  the 
glory  of  gettin  it,  an  po  harrum  done  to  any  body.'' 


I 


A  TUNNEL  TO  THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  SEAS.   113 


; 


I 


"  Well,  it  isn't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Bart,  thought- 
fully. "The  other  fellows  needn't  know.  They 
haven't  heard  the  story,  and  perhaps  won't  hear  it ; 
at  any  rate,  not  before  to-roorrow  ;  and  it's  a  crazy 
sort  of  an  undertaking,  and  mayn't  amount  to  any- 
thing ;  80,  as  you  say,  Pat,  it  may  be  best  for  us  to 
start  off,  us  two,  on  our  own  hooks,  and  investi- 
gate. My  idea  is,  for  us  to  get  off  there  in  a  quiet 
way,  land  on  Oak  Island,  and  look  around  to  see  if 
any  of  the  holes  are  suitable." 

"  Shuitable ! "  said  Pat.  «  Sure  they'll  all  shuit, 
so  they  will,  if  they  ain't  full  of  water.  All  we 
want  is,  a  impty  pit,  within  aisy  an  accissible  dis- 
tance of  the  money-hole  for  us  to  tunnel." 

"  Well,  that's  what  we'll  have  to  find  out  first. 
But  when  can  wo  go  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  morning,"  said  Pat,  "  airly." 

"  But  we're  going  to  Aspotogon,"  said  Bart. 

"  Sure  an  we  may  slip  oflf  an  let  the  others  go 
by  thimselves.  We'll  go  to  Oak  Island  at  four 
in  the  morrnin,  an '11  be  back  by  nine  or  tin  — 
about  the  time  when  they're  startin.  If  they  wait 
for  us,  all  right ;  we  may  go  with  them  there  or 
not,  just  as  it  shuits  us;  that  depinds  on  the  pros- 
pects at  Oak  Island.  But  if  they  don't  wait  for 
us  it  won't  make  any  difference  in  the  wurruld, 
80  it  won't." 

After  some  further  conversation,,  the  two  boys 
resolved  to  carry  out  this  proposal.    They  thought 
they  could  easily  leave  the  hotel  on  the  following 
8 


lU 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


morning,  at  tlio  earliest  light,  and  then  go  off  to  ex- 
plore Oak  Island  by  tliemselves.  The  others  would 
not  probably  start  for  Aspotogon  before  nine  or 
ten.  If  they  found  Oak  Island  affording  no  pros- 
pect of  success  in  their  plan,  they  could  easily  re 
turn  to  Chester,  in  time  to  start  for  Aspotogon 
with  the  others ;  while  if,  on  the  other  hand, 
they  did  see  any  chance  to  make  Pat's  tunnel,  they 
could  remain  there  and  go  to  work.  The  others 
would  probably  think  they  had  gone  fishing,  and 
set  off  without  tiiem. 

The  proposal  of  Pat  was  a  wild  and  impractica- 
ble one,  but  to  Bart  it  seemed  easy  enough.  The 
thing  that  had  influenced  him  most  was  the  idea 
of  ii  "  tunnel,"  of  which  Pat  spoke  so  knowingly. 
Without  having  any  very  distinct  conception  of 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  a  "  tunnel,"  he  al- 
lowed himself  to  be  fascinated  by  the  very  men- 
tion of  it,  and  so  flung  himself  headlong  into  the 
scheme. 

Their  determination  to  keep  this  plan  a  secret 
from  the  others,  did  not,  of  course,  arise  out  of  any 
desire  to  forestall  them,  or  to  seize  for  themselves 
the  treasure  which  they  supposed  to  be  on  the 
island.  It  was  rather  the  design  of  achieving  some 
exploit  which  should  astonish  their  friends.  It 
was  glory,  not  covetousness,  that  animated  them. 

In  this  frame  of  mind,  then,  and  with  this  pur- 
pose, they  returned  to  the  inn.  Nothing  was  said 
about  Oak  Island.     The  landlord  himself  did  not 


KEEPIKO  THEIR  OWN  COUNSEL. 


115 


:efer  to  it  Perhaps  ho  had  talkerl  enough  about 
it  for  one  day,  and  was  tired  of  it  j  or  perhaps  he 
M'as  merely  husbanding  his  resources,  so  as  to  tell 
it  with  full  effect  on  the  following  day  to  those  of 
the  p^rty  who  had  not  yet  heard  it ;  for  when  a 
man  has  a  good  story,  and  meets  with  a  perfectly 
fresh  crowd  of  hearers,  he  naturally  feels  unwill- 
ing to  throw  tho  Ftory  awuy,  and  prefers  to  tell  it 
under  the  best  possible  circumstances.  That 
evening  they  talked  chiefly  about  the  expedition 
to  Aspotogon.  Bruce,  Arthur,  Tom,  and  Phil  did 
the  talking.  Bart  and  Pat  were  comparatively 
silent.  Tho  first  four  said  nothinj?,  however,  about 
the  buccaneers,  for  they,  like  the  landlord,  were 
reserving  this  subject  for  the  following  day.  They 
also  had  all  conceived  tho  idea  that  Aspotogon  was 
the  very  place  where  tho  treasure  of  the  bucca- 
neers might  be  buried;  and  this,  of  course,  threw 
additional  attractions  around  the  proposed  trip. 
The  name  seemed  suitable  to  such  a  deed.  It  was 
sonorous  and  impressive ;  and  to  them  it  seemed 
to  suggest  all  sorts  of  possible  crimes  and  trage- 
dies. Deep  Cove,  also,  was  a  name  not  without 
its  significance  ;  and  they  fincied  in  this  place 
they  might  find  the  hiding-place  of  the  old  pirates 
of  which  the  governor  of  Sable  Island  had  spoken. 
Before  retiring,  they  decided  that  they  would 
not  start  till  nine  o'clock,  which  hour  Avould  be 
most  convenient  for  all,  especially  the  landlord, 
who  protested  against  getting  out  of  bed  at  any 


116 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


tinuBnally  early  hour.  With  this  understanding 
they  all  retired. 

But  Bart  and  Pat  were  awake  and  up  before  the 
dawn.  Dressing  themselves  hastily,  they  quitted 
the  house  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  and  went  off 
to  the  promenade  or  square,  at  the  end  of  the 
town.  Here  a  number  of  boats  were  drawn  up 
on  the  beach.  At  that  early  hour  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  find  any  owner;  nor  did  Bart  or  Pat  feel 
inclined  to  stand  on  any  ceremony.  They  selected 
the  best  of  them,  and  thought  that  on  their  return 
they  might  apologize  to  the  owner,  whoever  he 
might  turn  out  to  be,  and  pay  him  for  the  use  of 
the  boat. 

The  question  now  was,  how  to  find  Oak  Islapd. 
That  the  island  was  somewhere  in  the  bay  on  this 
side  of  Chester  they  knew  from  what  the  landlord 
had  told  them,  but  which  particular  one  it  might 
be  among  the  hundreds  of  the  bay  they  could  not 
imagine.  The  knowledge  that  it  was  covered 
with  oaks,  was  the  only  guide  they  had  ;  and  with 
this  they  set  forth,  hoping  to  find  the  object  of 
their  search.  There  was  a  sail  in  the  boat,  and  a 
pair  of  oars,  and  a  gentle  breeze  was  blowing ;  so 
they  hoisted  the  sail,  and  slipped  at  a  very  good 
pace  over  the  water.  On  their  way  they  passed 
several  islands.  One  of  these  had  farm-houses  on 
it ;  another  had  no  houses  at  all ;  but  still  they 
saw  nothing  of  those  oak  trees,  and  frames,  and 
pumps,  and  other  engines  which  marked  Oak 
Ittland. 


BART  AND  PAT  ON  THE  SEARCH. 


117 


They  kept  on,  Ijowevcr,  sailing  past  aomo  islands, 
and  around  others,  until  more  than  an  hour  had 
passed,  and  they  both  concluded  that  it  would  be 
far  better  to  go  ashore  somewhere  and  ask  direc- 
tions. They  saw  a  house  not  far  away  on  the  main 
land,  euid  at  once  sailed  in  this  direction.  The  wind 
still  continued  very  moderate,  and  though  neither 
Bart  nor  Pat  knew  much  about  navigating  a  boat, 
they  managed  to  get  along  in  this  breeze  without 
any  trouble  whatever. 

On  landing,  Pat  remained  in  the  boat,  while 
Bart  went  to  the  house  just  mentioned.  On  his 
way  he  crossed  the  high  road  which  here  runs 
along  the  shore,  winding  beautifully  around  every 
curve  and  inlet  as  it  encircles  the  bay.  Bart  had 
some  diiBculty  in  rousing  the  people,  for  it  was  yet 
very  early  in  the  morning,  and  they  were  all  sound 
asleep.  At  last,  however,  he  heard  sounds  of 
movement  inside,  and  then  a  man  appeared,  half 
dressed,  and  rubbing  his  eyes, 

"  Good  morning,"  said  Bart,  pleasantly. 

"  Morn'n,"  said  the  man,  with  a  yawn. 

**  Can  you  toll  me  where  I  can  find  Oak  Island  ?  ^ 

"Oak  Island?"  repeated  the  man,  stretching 
himself  with  another  yawn  and  looking  at  Bart, 
—  "Oak  Island?" 

"  Tes,"  said  Bart ;  «  Oak  Island." 

"  Why,  you  ain't  a  try  in  to  walk  there,  surely!*' 
eaid  the  man,  in  some  surprise, 

"0,  no,"  said  Bart;  *' that's  mj'^  boat  just  dowD 
there." 


118 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


"  0,"  said  the  man.  "  Wal,  Oak  Island's  jest 
over  there  ; "  and  he  pointed  up  the  bay  farther, 
in  a  direction  which  Bart  had  not  taken  at  all. 
"  You  go  straight  up  about  two  miles  from  here, 
an  you'll  hit  it.  You  can't  mistake  it.  It's  a  little 
island  with  some  oak  trees  and  some  stag'ns." 

"There's  no  one  there  now,  I  suppose,"  said  Bart. 

"No,"  said  the  man,  "not  jest  now.  They've 
knocked  off,  —  the  last  batch  did,  —  and  there  ain't 
likely  to  bo  no  more  till  the  next  lot  of  fools  turns 
up  that's  got  more  money  than  brains.'* 

From  which  remark  Bart  gathered  that  the  man 
was  an  unbeliever. 

"  You  don't  seem  to  believe  in  Kidd's  treasure," 
said  he. 

"  Wal,"  said  the  man,  "  I  ain't  goin  to  say  that ; 
but  I'll  tell  you  what  I  don't  believe  in.  I  don't 
believe  in  people  a  throwin  of  their  money  away 
into  the  airth  an  into  the  sea  when  they  might  be 
doin  better  with  it.  Yes,  a  throwin  of  it  away, 
tryin  to  get  at  a  money-box  that's  out  of  the  power 
of  man  to  touch.  Yes,  sir ;  flesh  and  blood  won't 
never  lay  hands  on  Kidd's  treasure  —  leastways 
not  unless  there's  a  sacrifice  made." 

"  A  sacrifice ! "  repeated  Bart,  in  amazement. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man.  "  It's  an  old  sayin  here- 
abouts, as  to  the  fact  as  that  that  thar  treasure 
bein  buried  there  with  the  sacrifice  of  human  life, 
is  laid  under  a  cuss,  and  the  cuss  can't  ever  bo 
lifted,  nor  the  money-box  either,  till  some  of  the 


THE   PIBATES'   ISLE. 


119 


diggers  kills  a  man.  That's  the  old  sayin  ;  an  mind 
you,  it'll  have  to  come  to  that.  Blood  must  be 
shed!" 

The  roan  uttered  these  last  words  in  a  deep 
tone,  that  suggested  all  sorts  of  superstitious  hor- 
rors ;  and  from  the  tenor  of  these  last  remarks, 
Bart  perceived  that  this  man,  far  from  being  an 
unbeliever,  as  he  had  at  first  supposed,  was  one 
of  the  firmest  possible  believers,  and  surrounded 
his  belief  with  the  accompaniments  of  the  darkest 
superstition.  To  Bart  this  only  served  to  inten- 
sify the  interest  which  ho  already  folt  in  Oak 
Island  ;  for  he  saw  that  the  people  of  the  neighbor- 
hood were  the  firmest  believers  in  the  existence 
of  the  treasure. 

A  few  more  questions  followed,  referring  chiefly 
to  the  appearance  of  the  island ;  and  having  at 
length  gathered  all  the  information  that  he  wanted, 
Bart  returned  to  the  boat,  and  once  more  the  two 
boys  proceeded  on  their  way.  The  place  towards 
which  the  man  had  pointed  was  straight  before 
them,  and  every  little  while  grew  more  and  more 
plainly  defined  against  the  line  of  land  beyond, 
until  at  length  they  could  see  that  it  was  an  island. 
Nearer  and  nearer  they  drew,  and  gradually  they 
saw  the  oak  trees,  which  differed  from  the  trees 
of  the  other  islands.  The  trees  stood  apart  more 
like  a  grove  planted  by  man  than  a  forest  of 
nature's  planting.  Other  signs  soon  appeared  ;  a 
rough  hut,  some  stagings  in  different  places,  of 


120 


THB  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


peculiar  construction,  and  here  and  there  mounds 
of  earth.  There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it. 
This  was  the  place  which  they  sought.  This  was 
the  home  of  the  buccaneers  ;  the  haunt  of  Captain 
Kidd ;  the  place  where  lay  buried  far  down  in  the 
earth,  and  fir  beneath  the  sea,  the  plunder  of  the 
Spanish  Main  1 


ASHORE  ON  THE  ISLAND. 


121 


X. 


The  Isle  of  the  Pirates.  — T7ie  Oaks  and  the  Mounds. 
—  A  Survey.  —  The  flooded  Pits.  —  The  empty 
Pit.  —  The  Staying.  —  Tlie  Money-hole.  —  The 
Hut  and  its  Cordents.  —  The  Stone  with  the  In- 
scription. —  Preparations  for  a  Descent.  —  The 
Hope  and  the  Beam.  —  Pat's  Plan  with  the  Pick- 
axe. —  Bart  goes  down.  —  All  right.  —  Come 
along.  —  Pat  goes  down.  —  Terriflc  Result. 
The  S'vord  of  Damocles. 


0JkdHE  bows  of  the  boat  grated  on  the  pebbled 
«^»  beach,  and  Bart  and  Pat  stepped  ashore. 
*^  On  landing,  their  first  thought  was  to  se- 
cure the  boat.  This  was  not  a  difficult  task. 
Close  by  them  was  a  tree,  growing  near  the  beach, 
and  all  that  they  had  to  do  was  to  draw  the  boat 
up  for  a  short  distance,  and  fastf.n  a  line  around  the 
tree.  After  this,  they  stood  by  the  boat  for  a  lit^ 
tie  while,  and  looked  at  the  island  upon  which 
they  had  landed. 

It  was  small,  not  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  across, 
and  rose  gently  from  the  sea  to  a  height  of  not 
more  than  thirty  feet.     Oak  trees,  planted  at  coii> 


122 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


siderable  intervals,  grew  over  the  surface,  none  of 
them  being  of  any  very  great  size.  Under  these 
there  was,  in  some  places,  a  thick  turf,  which 
looked  as  though  the  ground  had  once  been  culti- 
vated, and  had  run  out,  wliile  in  other  places  it 
was  rough,  and  rose  in  those  mossy  mounds  or 
cradles  which  characterize  soil  that  has  been 
cleared,  but  has  never  been  subject  to  cultivation. 

As  they  stood  here  and  looked  at  the  scene  be- 
fore them,  they  saw,  not  very  far  away,  a  mound  of 
earth.  They  had  seen  this  from  the  boat  as  they 
approached,  and  had  at  once  thought  that  it  might 
be  the  very  ground  removed  from  the  earth  in 
forming  one  of  the  numerous  pits.  In  digging 
these  pita  the  earth  would  be  raised,  and  thrown 
on  one  side. 

«  Sure  that's  what  I  towld  ye,"  said  Pat.  "  Ye 
know  there  must  be  a  deep  hole  from  the  height 
of  it." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bart.  "  There  must  be  a  hole  there. 
Come,  let's  have  a  look  at  it." 

With  these  words  the  two  started  forward,  and 
walked  towards  the  heap  of  earth.  As  they  came 
up,  they  noticed  that  the  soil  consisted  of  clay  of  a 
dull  bluish  tinge,  like  pale  slate,  and  they  recognized 
at  once  the  bluish  clay  of  which  the  landlord  had 
spoken.  The  heap  of  earth  was  of  considerable  di- 
mensions. They  both  walked  up  it,  and  on  reach- 
ing the  top,  they  saw  on  the  other  side  an  open- 
ing in  the  ground.      Hurrying  down  towards  it. 


THE  FLOODED  PITS. 


123 


they  recognized  in  it  at  once  one  of  those  pits  made 
by  some  one  of  the  companies  digging  here.  The 
month  of  it  was  about  six  feet  long  and  four  feet 
wide.  The  sides  were  stayed  up  by  planks.  They 
could  not  see  far  down,  however,  for  the  i)it  con- 
tained water,  which  came  to  within  a  dozen  feet  of 
the  surface.  How  deep  the  pit  was  they  could  not 
see ;  but  they  at  once  conjectured  that  this  was  one 
of  those  pits  mentioned  by  the  landlord,  where  the 
diggers  in  search  of  the  "  drain  "  had  broken  into  it, 
and  had  thus  been  compelled  to  fly  from  the  waters 
that  poured  in  upon  thera.  This  pit  was  flooded  (as 
the  landlord  had  said)  from  "  Kidd's  drain." 

After  examining  this  pit,  they  proceeded  farther, 
and  saw  another  mound  not  far  away.  It  was  just 
like  this,  of  about  the  same  dimensions,  and  con- 
sisting of  the  same  bluish  clay.  To  this  they  di- 
rected their  steps,  knowing  now  that  another  pit 
might  be  expected  here,  and  in  this  expectation 
they  were  not  disappointed.  There  was  a  pit  hero 
of  procisely  the  same  appearanco  as  the  one  which 
they  had  just  examined,  stayed  i  p  in  the  same  way 
around  the  sides  by  stout  plan!-  s,  and  of  about  the 
same  size.  Like  the  other,  it  was  also  full  of 
water.  Here  too,  then,  as  they  thought,  the  dig- 
gers had  broken  into  the  "  drain,"  and  had  flooded 
the  pit.  The  occurrence  of  these  two  pits,  both 
full  of  water,  showed  them,  in  a  very  striking  and 
very  significant  manner,  the  difficulties  that  those 
encountered  who  sought  to  penetrate  to  the  hid* 
den  treasure. 


124 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


But  the  boys  were  curious  to  see  some  pit  that 
might  not  be  full  of  water,  so  as  to  see  with  their 
own  eyes  the  depth  of  tFiese  excavations.  The  land- 
lord had  mentioned  a  hundred  feet.  Such  a  depth 
as  that,  they  knew,  exceeded  the  height  of  an  ordi- 
nary church  spire,  and  they  both  wondered  whether 
it  would  be  possible  for  them  to  descend.  They, 
therefore,  turned  away  from  this  pit  after  a  slight 
examination,  and  looked  around  for  others. 

Several  mounds  appeared  not  very  far  away,  and 
they  at  once  went  off  to  the  nearest  of  these. 
Here,  then,  was  a  pit  which  was  also  flooded.  The 
sight  of  tiiis  third  pit,  full  of  water,  made  them  fear 
that  this  was  the  condition  of  all  of  them,  and  their 
discouragement  was  consequently  great ;  however, 
they  had  not  yet  examined  all,  and  two  or  three 
other  mounds  yet  remained  to  be  visited.  They 
went  on,  therefore,  to  the  next ;  and  here,  on  reach- 
ing the  pit  which  adjoined  it,  they  found,  to  their 
great  delight,  that  it  was  dry. 

Dry  and  deep.  The  hundred  feet  which  the 
landlord  had  spoken  of  seemed  to  be  a  moderate 
estimate  for  this  pit.  Its  length  and  width  at  the 
mouth  were  the  same  as  those  of  the  others ;  and 
the  staying  of  the  sides  with  stout  planks  was  the 
same.  On  looking  down,  they  could  see  no  bot- 
tom. Bart  took  a  stone  and  dropped  it,  and 
the  time  which  was  taken  up  in  the  fall  to  the  bot- 
i,^(n  seemed  to  fully  warrant  the  estimate  above 
mentioned.    But  such  a  pit  as  this  did  not  appear 


THE  UONEY-HOLE. 


125 


to  offer  much  chance  of  descending  into  it.  None 
of  the  pulleys  or  windlasses  which  must  once  have 
been  used  here  to  lower  the  workmen,  or  hoist  up 
the  earth,  now  remained.  The  planks  used  as  stay- 
ing were  over  an  inch  apart,  and  these  offered  oc- 
casional spaces  which  might  possibly  be  used  as  a 
foothold.  Still,  to  climb  down  here  without  some 
sort  of  a  rope  was  not  to  be  thought  of,  and  though 
Bart  and  Pat  were  both  excellent  climbers,  they 
both  saw  at  once  that  this  was  a  task  beyond  their 
powers.  And  they  had  not  brought  a  rope  with 
them. 

On  looking  around  once  more,  they  saw  at  no 
very  great  distance  a  staging,  which  at  once  re- 
minded them  of  the  directions  given  them  by  the 
man  on  the  shore,  and  also  of  the  words  of  the  land- 
lord. This  staging  they  had  also  noticed  as  they 
approached  the  island  in  the  boat.  They  now  set 
out  for  this,  and  reached  it  in  a  short  time.  This 
staging  was  about  the  highest  point  on  the  island, 
and  was  in  the  midst  of  an  immense  collection  of 
mounds  of  earth,  and  sand,  and  blue  clay.  As  they 
stood  here,  they  could  see  several  pits  around 
them ;  but  their  attention  was  at  once  arrested  by 
one  place  close  by  the  staging.  It  was  a  hollow  in 
the  earth,  shaped  like  a  bowl,  about  twenty  feet  in 
diameter,  and  perhaps  the  same  depth.  At  once 
the  landlord's  description  of  the  present  appear- 
ance of  the  "  money-hole "  flashed  across  their 
memories. 


126 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


! 


§1  I 


This,  then,  must  bo  the  place,  —  this  bowl-shaped 
hollow.  There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it.  This 
must  be  the  spot  chosen  by  the  buccaneers  for  that 
pit  in  which  they  were  to  hide  their  treasure. 
Here  beneath,  —  far  beneath,  —  lay  concealed  the 
plunder  of  the  Spanish  Main.  Here  was  that 
blasted  circular  spot,  with  the  blighted  tree,  and 
the  decayed  pulley,  which. had  revealed  the  secret 
to  the  first  diggers.  Here  those  two  had  worked 
who  had  so  nearly  reached  the  treasure,  and  tliis 
bowl-shaped  cavity  showed  them  what  appeared  to 
the  eyes  of  those  first  diggers,  when,  after  tliey  had 
just  touched  the  treasure,  they  went  forth  on  the 
ibllowing  morning  to  see  their  labor  destroyed,  and 
all  their  toil  wasted. 

Around  this  were  the  signs  of  other  labors,  and 
the  unmistakable  traces  of  all  the  toilers,  who  in 
succession  had  labored  here.  Some  pits  had  caved 
in,  like  the  original  "  money-hole."  Others  had 
filled  with  water.  The  sand,  gravel,  and  clay,  that 
had  been  drawn  up  out  of  these  various  excava- 
tions, covered  a  large  space.  Close  by  a  pit,  which 
lay  nearest  to  the  "  money-hole,"  rose  the  staging 
which  had  attracted  them.  On  examining  this,  its 
purpose  was  at  once  evident.  It  was  erected  so 
as  to  allow  of  the  working  of  pumps  by  horse-power. 
The  circle  was  tliere  which  the  horses  traversed, 
and  all  the  machinery  was  in  perfect  order.  They 
understood  the  purpose  of  this  machine  at  once 
from  the  landlord's  story.     It  had  been  intended  to 


THE  HUT  AND  ITS  CONTENTS. 


127 


reach  the  bottom  of  the  "  money-hole  "  by  a  new  pit, 
and  this  pit  was  to  be  kept  dry  by  pumping.  The 
pit  must  evidently  be  the  one  which  immediately 
adjoined  the"  money-hole."  But  how  completely  this 
plan  had  failed,  was  now  evident  to  them  from  tliia 
pit  itself,  which,  like  the  others  that  they  had  first 
seen,  was  full  of  water.  This  pit  had  proved  of  no 
avail  against  "  Kidd's  drain."  Horse-power  had 
been  weak  against  the  tides  of  the  sea.  Here  was 
the  melancholy  result  —  a  failure  complete  and  ut- 
ter ;  a  pit  flooded ;  engines  useless ;  costly  works 
deserted.  Would  the  attempt  ever  be  made  again? 
or  if  so,  would  steam  succeed  when  pitted  against 
the  waters  of  the  ocean? 

They  went  down  into  the  bowl-shaped  cavity 
which  marked  the  "  money-hole,"  —  they  did  so 
cautiously,  for  they  had  vague  fears  of  quicksand. 
But  their  fears  were  idle.  The  ground  seemed  as 
hard  and  as  solid  as  on  any  other  part  of  the  island. 
They  stood  there,  and  stamped,  and  jumped,  but 
the  firm  soil  yielded  not.  They  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve that  this  was  the  very  central  point  afiected  by 
the  waters  of  the  sea.  And  yet  this  must  be  so, 
for  this  was  the  point  to  which  the  **  drain "  had 
been  directed,  and  far  down  the  waters  guarded 
the  treasure  from  the  hand  of  man. 

After  remaining  hero  for  a  time,  they  emerged 
from  the  cavity,  and  t'ueir  attention  was  next  at- 
tracted by  a  hut  not  far  away.  To  this  they  di- 
rected their  s^-eps.    They  I'ound  tlie  door  wide  open, 


128 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


in 

I 


and  entered.  Inside  they  saw  two  rooms  divided 
by  a  board  partition,  with  a  chimney  rising  in  tho 
middle.  This  had  been  the  place  where  the  work- 
men lived,  for  signs  of  these  occupants  were  still 
visible  around.  The  two  rooms  were  filled  with 
spades,  and  chains,  and  boxes,  and  a  miscellaneous 
collection  of  articles  that  had  probably  been  used 
by  the  last  excavators,  and  had  been  left  here  in 
anticipation  of  further  use.  Among  these  they 
saw  a  quantity  of  ropes  in  coils  of  different  sizes ; 
and  they  saw  at  once  that  if  they  wished  to  go 
down  into  any  one  of  the  pits,  a  way  of  descending 
was  now  supplied. 

The  chimney  at  once  suggested  to  their  minds 
the  remarks  of  the  landlord  about  the  stone  with 
the  inscription.  To  the  boys  that  stone  seemed 
the  most  important  part  of  the  whole  story,  and 
offered  a  more  direct  evidence  as  to  its  truth  than 
anything  else.  They  wished  to  see  it,  and  judge 
tor  themselves.  They  accordingly  examined  the 
chimney  on  every  side,  but,  to  their  very  great  dis- 
appointment, could  not  see  anything  of  the  kind. 
At  length  Bart  found  a  place  in  the  chimney  from 
which  a  portion  seemed  to  have  been  detached,  and 
he  at  once  declared  that  this  must  have  been  the 
place  where  the  stone  was,  and  that  it  had  proba- 
bly been  taken  away,  so  as  to  be  made  use  of  for 
the  purpose  of  affecting  the  public  mind,  and  in- 
ducing people  to  take  stock  in  the  new  company. 

The  sight  of  the  ropes  at  once  awakened  within 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  A   DESCENT. 


129 


them  a  desire  to  put  in  practice  their  intention  of 
descending  into  one  of  tiie  pits.  It  did  not  seem 
to  them  to  be  dangerous.  Bart  was  as  active  as  a 
cat  in  climbing,  especially  when  he  had  anything 
to  do  with  ropes ;  wliile  Pat,  though  not  equal  to 
him  in  this  respect,  was  still  quite  able  to  do  any 
ordinary  work  of  the  kind.  One  of  the  pits,  as 
they  had  seen,  was  dry,  but  it  was  a  little  too  far 
away.  They  wished  to  find  one  which  was  rather 
nearer  the  "  money-hole,"  where  there  might  be 
some  chance  of  putting  into  practice  Pat's  idea 
about  the  tunnel.  No  thought  of  danger  entered 
into  their  minds,  no  dread  of  the  treacherous 
waters  which  had  broken  through  into  the  other 
holes,  and  flooded  them.  They  prepared  to  put 
their  scheme  into  execution  as  calmly  as  if  it  was 
no  more  than  climbing  a  tree. 

But  first  they  must  seek  a  pit  nearer  the 
"  money-hole  ;  "  and  with  this  intention  they  went 
back  to  that  central  spot,  where  they  examined  the 
pits  in  its  neighborhood.  To  their  great  joy  they 
soon  found  one.  It  was  on  the  aide  opposite  to 
that  where  the  staging  had  been  erected,  and  was 
quite  dry.  This  they  know  by  dropping  stones 
down,  and  listening  to  the  sound  made  when  they 
struck.  All  of  them  fell  with  a  dull  thud,  and 
without  any  splashing  noise,  such  as  would  have 
been  produced  had  water  been  there. 

This  at  once  decided  them  in  favor  of  the  pit 
just  mentioned  ;  and  the  next  thing  was,  how  to 
9 


r\ 


130 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


i 


arrange  the  rope  so  as  to  make  the  descent.  One 
could  not  lower  the  other ;  and  if  such  a  thing  had 
been  possible,  neither  one  would  have  been  willing 
to  stay  up.  There  was  therefore  nothing  for  them 
to  do  but  to  adopt  the  simple  plan  of  climbing  down 
by  means  of  a  rope  secured  to  the  top.  First  of  all 
they  had  to  select  the  rope.  This  they  did  without 
much  delay.  Among  the  various  coils  in  the  hut, 
one  seemed  suitable  from  size  and  quality.  It  had 
been  used,  like  all  the  others ;  it  seemed  perfectly 
strong  enough  ;  and  it  was  also  sufficiently  soft  and 
smooth  to  the  hands.  This  coil  was  therefore 
selected  and  brought  to  the  place.  A  stone  was 
quickly  attached  to  one  end,  and  was  thrown  down. 
The  rope  fell  all  the  way  to  the  bottom  without 
being  more  than  half  expended.  The  rest  of  the 
coil  lay  at  the  edge  of  the  pit. 

And  now  how  were  they  to  secure  this,  so  as  to 
descend?  Something  was  needed  which  might 
bear  their  weight.  At  first  they  thought  of  tying 
the  upper  part  of  the  rope  to  one  of  the  planks 
which  fonned  the  staying  of  the  sides  of  the  pit ; 
but  this  did  not  seem  strong  enough.  They  then 
went  oiF  to  hunt  up  something.  In  the  house  there 
was  a  ci'owbar,  which  was  strong  enough,  yet  not 
long  enough,  to  satisfy  them.  But  outside  of  the 
house  there  was  a  large  beam,  fully  twelve  feet 
long  and  eight  inches  thick.  This  seemed  to  be 
the  very  thing.  It  was  .ipparontly  sound  and 
strong,  and,  as  iar  as  tiiey  could  see,  was  quite 


pat's  plan  with  the  pickaxe. 


131 


quite 


able  to  support  ten  times  the  weight  to  which  it 
would  be  subjected.  This  beam  therefore  was 
chosen  without  the  slightest  hesitation,  and  Bart 
and  Pat,  taking  it  up  in  their  arms,  carried  it  to 
the  mouth  of  the  pit ;  then  they  laid  it  across,  and 
tied  the  rope  about  it  as  securely  as  possible. 

All  now  seemed  perfectly  safe,  and  nothing  re- 
mained but  to  make  the  descent.  Bart  went  first. 
The  planks  used  for  staying  around  the  sides  of 
the  pit  were  far  enough  apart  to  offer  here  and 
there  interstices  in  which  the  feet  might  be  in- 
serted, though  in  many  of  these  places  the  earth 
bulged  through  so  as  to  prevent  a  foothold.  They 
thus  afforded  assistance;  and  Bart,  as  he  began 
his  descent,  availed  himself  of  it.  As  ho  went 
down,  Pat  watched  him  anxiously  from  above.  Be- 
fore his  head  had  disappeared,  he  suid, — 

"  0,  by  the  way,  Pat  I  throw  dowii  that  pickaxe." 

For  Pat  had  brought  a  pickaxe  from  the  hut,  in 
order  to  make  his  tunnel ;  and  it  was  now  lying  on 
the  ground,  close  by. 

"  Sure,  but  I  was  goin  to  wait  till  you  got 
down." 

"  What !  and  throw  it  on  my  head  I  No,  thank 
you." 

"  Sure  an  I  niver  thought  of  that  at  all  at  all," 
said  Pat ;  "  and  it's  lucky  for  you  that  you  thought 
of  it  just  now." 

With  these  words  Pat  dropped  the  pickaxe  into 
the  pit,  and  it  fell  with  a  dull  thud  far  down  at  the 
bottom. 


132 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


B\rt now  continued  his  descent,  and  Pat  watched 
him  all  the  way.  At  length  a  voice  came  up  from 
far  below, — 

"  All  right !    Come  along  1 " 

Upon  this  Pat  descended,  and  went  down  cau- 
tiously and  carefully,  clinging  with  feet  and  hands 
to  the  rope  and  to  the  sides  of  the  pit.  He  was 
not  eo  dexterous  as  Bart,  and  once  or  twice  he 
lost  his  foothold  on  the  side  of  the  pit,  and  slid  for 
several  feet,  the  rope  cutting  his  hands ;  but  still 
he  kept  on,  for  Bart  was  waiting  for  him,  and  en- 
couraging  him. 

At  length,  when  about  thirty  feet  from  the  bot- 
tom, where  Bart  was  standing,  he  found  a  place 
where  he  could  stick  his  foot,  and  waited  for  a  nfo- 
ment  to  look  down  through  the  darkness.  He 
could  see  nothing.  As  he  looked,  his  foot  slipped 
from  the  place,  and  he  fell  with  a  jerk,  the  rope 
sliding  painfully  through  his  chafed  hands.  At 
that  very  instant  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  rope 
itself  was  falling.  From  above  there  came  a  dull 
cieaking  sound,  and  from  below  a  cry  of  horror 
burst  from  Bart.  At  that  instant,  Pat's  foot  touched 
the  bottom  of  the  pit. 

Bart  grasped  his  arm  convulsively,  and  pointed 
upward. 

"  The  beam  I  the  beam ! "  he  almost  screamed 
"  It's  broke.     0,  what  shall  we  do  I  " 

Pat  looked  up ;  and  there,  clearly  defined  against 
the  sky,  he  saw  the  beam  around  which  the  rope 


vatched 
ip  from 


wn  cau- 
d  hands 

He  was 
ivice   he 

slid  for 
but  still 

and  en- 

the  bot- 
a  place 
for  a  nfo- 
ess.  He 
b  slipped 
the  rope 
ids.  At 
the  rope 
le  a  dull 
^f  horror 
b  touched 

I  pointed 

icreamed. 

d  against 
the  rope 


Baut  and  I'at  in  rut,  I'rr.     I'age  132. 


r , 


1    i 


! 


THE  SWOBU  OE  DAMOCLES. 


133 


was  fastened,  no  longer  lying  straight  across  the 
mouth  of  the  pit,  but  sagging  down  in  the  middle 
at  a  sharp  angle.  It  had  been  rotten  in  the  mid- 
dle. It  had  cracked  at  that  last  jerk  occasioned  by 
his  fall  from  his  foothold  ;  and  it  now  hung  broken 
midway,  still  clinging  together  by  a  few  fibres,  but 
suspended  there  above  them,  like  the  sword  of 
Damocles,  as  if  by  a  single  hair,  and  threatening 
every  instant  to  fall  and  crush  them. 

The  rope  and  the  beam  had  both  been  rotten, 
and  the  jerk  which  had  been  given  when  Pat  lost 
his  foothold  had  cracked  the  one  and  broken  the 
other.  There,  about  thirty  feet  above  them,  hung 
the  end  of  the  rope  where  it  had  parted.  The  rest 
of  it  was  still  in  Pat's  hands. 


134 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


XI. 


I      ! 


The  missing  Ones. —  Wliat  has  become  of  them?  — 
Theor'  hout  Bart  and  Pat.  —  The  Decision. — 
A  new  .     appointment,  and  a  very  serious  one. 

—  yl  bad  Substitute.  —  The  Voyage  to  Aspotogon. 

—  The  mysterious  Cove. —  A  romantic  Spot. — 
Picturesque  Scenery.  —  Speculations  about  the 
Buccaneers.  —  The  very  Place.  —  The  Knoll.  — 
New  Themes.  —  The  Mound  over  the  Treasure  of 
the  Seas. — Plans  to  get  at  said  Treasure. — A  most 
unpleasant  Discovery.  —  Their  Plans  knocked  in 
the  Head.  —  New  Plans,  by  which  to  avoid  all 
Difficulties. 


'HE  other  boys  rose  that  morning  at  the 
usual  hour,  and  descended  leisurely  to 
breakfast.  The  absence  of  Bart  and  Pat 
was  noticed  and  commented  on.  It  was  supposed, 
however,  that  they  had  gone  off  somewhere  to  get 
up  an  appetite  for  breakfast,  and  that  they  would 
be  along  before  the  meal  was  over.  Time  passed, 
and  the  breakfast  was  ended;  but  still  no  signs 
appeared  of  the  absentees.  It  was  now  nearly 
timt  tc   start,  and  they  all  strolled  down   to  the 


WHERE   ARE  THE  MISSING  ONES? 


135 


wharf  where  the  Antelope  was,  thinking  that  the 
two  boys  might  possibly  be  there.  On  reaching 
the  place  they  looked  around,  but  saw  no  signs  of 
them.  Captain  Corbet  had  not  seen  them,  nor  had 
Solomon.  Everyiliing  was  ready,  and  it  was  only 
a  few  minutes  of  tho  time. 

"  It's  queer  where  those  fellows  can  have  gone 
to,"  said  Bruce, 

*'  They've  gone  on  a  walk,  of  course,"  said  Ar- 
thur;  "  and  I  dare  say  they've  gone  farther  than 
they  intended." 

"  0,  they'll  be  along  soon,"  said  Phil ;  and  won't 
they  be  half  starved  ?     Methinks  I " 

"  It's  a  strange  thing,"  said  Tom,  "  that  they 
should  have  slipped  off  in  this  way.  No  one  knows 
anything  about  them.  No  one  at  the  inn  saw 
them  go  out.  They  must  have  got  up  precious 
early." 

"  Well,  they're  both  rather  early  risers,"  said 
Arthur ;  "  and  they  may  have  gone  off  fishing." 

*'  I  dare  say  they  have,"  said  Bruce.  "  Bart  is 
crazy  about  fishing,  and  if  he  has  got  one  solitary 
bite,  he'll  give  up  the  expedition  to  Aspotogon." 

'*  And  Pat's  as  bad,  every  bit,"  said  Phil.  "  De- 
pcnd  upon  it,  those  two  have  gone  out  to  catch 
fish  for  breakfast,  and  won't  be  back  till  somewhere 
about  evening." 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Tom,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  they've  both  backed  out  deliberately." 

''Backed  out?" 


=  "-^ 


136 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"  Yes.  I  don't  believe  they  cared  about  going 
to  Aspotogon." 

"  Pooh  !  nonsense  1  What  makes  yon  think  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  last  evening  I  noticed  tliat  they  didn't  say 
a  single  word.  Both  of  those  fellows  were  as  mum 
as  mice,  and  all  the  rest  of  us  were  in  full  crj 
about  the  expedition.  Depend  upon  it,  they  didn't 
want  to  go,  and  have  backed  out.  They  didn't  want 
to  say  anything  about  it,  for  fear  we'd  tease  them 
to  come,  but  quietly  dropped  off,  leaving  us  to 
go  without  them.  0,  that's  the  way,  beyond  a 
doubt." 

"  Now  that  you  mention  it,  Tom,"  said  Phil,  "  I  do 
remember  that  they  didn't  say  anything  last  night, 
neither  of  them." 

"  Neither  did  they,"  said  Arthur. 

"  Pact,"  said  Bruce ;  "  it  looks  very  much  as  if 
they  had  talked  the  matter  over,  and  concluded  to 
back  out  m  this  quiet  way ;  and  I  don't  know  but 
what  they  have  concocted  some  scheme  of  their 


It 


own. 

"  O,  some  fishing  scheme,  of  course.  Bart  was 
crazy  about  it,  you  know,  and  he's  persuaded  Fat 
to  go  with  him." 

"  Well,  in  that  case  we  needn't  wait." 

"  O,  we  may  as  well  hang  on  till  ten  —  in  case 
they  should  turn  up  after  all." 

Such  was  the  opinion,  then,  to  which  the  other 
boys  came,  about  the  disappearance  of  Bart  and 
Pat.    It  was  a  perfectly  natural  one  under  the 


THEORIES  ABOUT   BART   AND   PAT. 


137 


-m  case 


circumstances.  Bart  and  Pat  were  distinguished 
above  all  things  for  their  fondness  for  fishing; 
their  silence  during  the  conversation  of  the  pre- 
ceding evening  really  made  it  seem  as  though  they 
had  no  desire  to  go  to  Aspotogon,  but  had  some 
plan  of  their  own.  This  plan  seemed  to  the  boys 
to  be  undoubtedly  a  fishing  expedition.  There 
was,  therefore,  not  the  slightest  feeling  of  uneasi- 
ness in  the  mind  of  any  of  them,  nor  did  even 
Captain  Corbet,  who  had  listened  to  the  conversa- 
tion, imagine  that  there  was  any  cause  for  alarm. 
To  have  imagined  danger  to  them  in  such  a  place 
as  this,  on  dry  ground,  in  a  civilize!  country,  was 
out  of  the  question.  Notwithstanding  this  convic- 
tion, they  thought  it  possible,  however,  that  the  two 
might  yet  return  in  time,  and  therefore  they  de- 
cided to  wait  for  them  till  ten. 

The  conversation  about  Bart  and  Pat  was  sud- 
denly interrupted  by  the  appearance  of  the  land- 
lord, who  brought  them  another  disappointment. 
He  told  them  that  important  business  had  most 
unexpectedly  required  him  to  go  up  the  country 
for  twenty  miles  or  so,  and  that  he  should  not  be 
able  to  accompany  them.  He  expressed  the  great- 
est possible  regret,  and  the  boys  expressed  still 
more.  They  at  once  offered  to  postpone  their  ex- 
pedition till  the  following  day;  but  the  landlord 
was  not  certain  whether  he  should  be  back  by  that 
time  or  not,  and  advised  them  to  go  without  him. 
He  said  a  friend  of  his  would  go,  who  knew  the 


u 


1 

r 

1 
J 

( 
f 

J. 

' 

;^ 

•S 

THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


whole  country,  and  could  tell  them  all  that  they 
wanted  to  know  about  it. 

Great  was  the  disappointment  of  the  boys  at  this 
unexpected  occurrence.  They  had  particularly 
wished  to  have  the  landlord's  company,  for  reasons 
already  stated.  He  was  so  genial,  so  communica- 
tive, and  so  destitute  of  inquisitiveness,  that  ho 
seemed  the  very  man  whom  they  might  be  able  to 
pump  to  their  hearts'  content,  without  making  their 
purpose  apparent  to  him.  One  great  charm  of 
the  expedition  lay  in  their  belief  that  Aspotogon 
and  Deep  Cove  had  been  the  haunts  of  the  bucca- 
neers, and  that  the  landlord  would  show  them  the 
traditionary  place  where  the  treasure  had  been 
deposited.  They  did  not  think  that  another  man 
could  supply  his  place ;  and  when,  shortly  after,  the 
landlord  brought  his  friend  along,  they  were  sure 
of  it.  For  the  friend,  whoso  name  the  landlord 
gave  as  Turnbull,  was  a  heavy,  dull-looking  man, 
and  the  last  in  the  world  whom  they  would  have 
chosen  in  the  landlord's  place.  However,  there 
was  no  help  for  it.  It  was  useless  to  postpone  it, 
and,  consequently,  at  ten  o'clock  the  Antelope 
started  on  her  voyage. 

On  emerging  from  the  little  harbor  of  Chester 
into  the  bay,  the  scene  that  presented  itself  was 
beautiful  in  the  extreme.  Much  of  it  was  familiar 
to  their  eyes,  owing  to  their  previous  cruise 
about  the  bay  on  the  first  day  of  their  arrival ;  but 
they  now  saw  it  under  a  somewhat  dififerent  aspect. 


DISAPPOINTMENT. 


139 


On  one  side  arose  an  island,  bare  of  trees,  and 
covered  with  grass,  of  no  great  size,  but  conspicu- 
ous from  its  position.  In  its  neighborhood  were 
other  islands,  some  all  wooded  from  tlie  shore  to 
tlio  summit,  others  showing  green  meadows  peep- 
ing forth  from  encircling  foliage.  Before  them 
spread  the  shores  of  Tancook,  all  green  with  ver- 
dure, dotted  with  white  houses,  and  showing,  hero 
and  there,  the  darker  hue  of  forest  trees,  amid  the 
green,  grassy  meadows.  Beyon'd  this,  and  far  out 
to  sea,  was  Ironbound,  which,  from  this  distance, 
looked  dark  and  repellent.  It  was  more  wooded 
tlian  the  other  islands,  and  did  not  seem  popular  aa 
a  dwelling-place.  Naturally  so,  for  at  that  distance 
out,  it  was  exposed  to  the  storms  and  the  fogs  of 
the  ocean,  while  those  islands  within  the  bay  were 
in  the  possession  of  a  far  more  genial  soil  and 
climate.  On  the  left,  the  coast-line  ran  on  beyond 
a  neighboring  point,  till  it  terminated  in  a  distant 
headland ;  and  here,  on  that  line  of  coast,  sf  veral 
miles  this  side  of  the  headland,  the  land  arose  to  a 
wooded  eminence,  which  was  no  other  than  the 
very  place  which  they  were  seeking  —  Aspotogon. 
The  boys  were  disappointed,  for  they  had  ex- 
pected something  much  higher.  It  did  not  seem 
to  them  to  be  more  than  a  very  ordinary  hill,  nor 
did  it  rise  very  high  above  the  level  of  the  sur- 
rounding land.  Still,  they  were  willing  to  be 
pleased,  and  therefore  tried  to  think  that  it  might 
really  be  much  higher  than  it  seemed. 


»l   i 


140 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


The  line  of  coast  ran  on,  showing  cleared  fields 
along  the  shore,  which,  farther  back,  were  suc- 
ceeded by  wooded  slopes.  In  this  line  of  shore 
there  did  not  appear  the  slightest  opening,  nor 
could  they  imsigino  how  it  was  possible  for  a 
schooner  to  reach  the  base  of  Aspotogon.  That 
there  was  a  passage,  however,  they  were  again  and 
again  assured  by  Turnbull,  who,  though  not  at  all  in- 
clined to  give  any  information,  was  yet  capable  of 
answering  direct  questions,  and  telling  the  names 
of  places.  The  existence  of  a  cove,  or  strait,  in 
such  a  place,  where  there  seemed  nothing  but  an 
unbroken  line  of  coast,  gave  additional  strength  to 
that  fancy  in  which  the  boys  had  already  been  in- 
dulging, and  made  them  think  that  this  place,  so 
completely  hidden,  must  be,  above  all  others,  the 
place  once  chosen  as  a  secure  retr«:at  by  the  buc- 
caneers. This  feeling  gained  strength  as  they 
went  on.  The  distance  was  not  far.  The  wind 
was  fair.  The  Antelope  did  her  best,  and  so  they 
gradually  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  Still,  no  sign 
appeared  of  any  opening,  nor  could  they  make  out 
any  place  where  an  opening  might  be  likely  to  be 
found.  At  last  Turnbull  remarked  that  this  was 
the  place,  and  that  the  Antelope  would  have  to 
anchor  here,  as  it  would  be  inconvenient,  in  this 
wind,  to  get  out  of  Deep  Cove  if  they  were  to 
enter  it  in  the  schooner.  Down  went  the  Ante- 
lope's anchor,  and  the  boat  was  hauled  up  along- 
side. 


PEEP  COVE. 


Ul 


Jenmg,  nor 


They  were  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  shore.  Deep  Cove  was  there, —  for  so 
Turnbull  said, — and  tliey  were  about  to  visit  it,  yet 
there  was  still  no  more  appearance  of  any  opening 
than  before.  The  shore  seemed  to  run  on  without 
any  break,  and  the  boys  sought  in  vain  to  find  some 
place  into  which  a  boat  might  go ;  but  tlie  boat 
was  ready,  and  this  mystery  was  soon  to  be 
solved. 

They  drew  very  near  to  the  shore  before  the 
long-sou ght-for  opening  appeared.  The  opening 
was  at  such  an  angle  that  it  could  not  be  detected 
from  the  direction  in  which  they  had  approached, 
and  the  curve  made  by  the  cove  was  of  such  a 
kind  that  it  was  diflicult  to  detect  it  from  any 
direction.  On  entering  it  they  saw  that  it  was 
deep  and  spacious,  with  the  shore  on  one  side 
covered  with  forest  trees,  and  on  the  other  side 
cleared.  Rowing  on  a  little  farther,  the  cove 
curved,  and  the  cleared  land  was  left  bejjind.  Now 
a  scene  of  grandeur  appeared.  The  cove  ran  be- 
tween lofty  heights,  wliich  bordered  it;  now  with 
precipitous  rocky  cliffs,  now  with  steep  slopes, 
heavily  wooded.  After  rowing  a  few  hundred 
yards,  it  seemed  as  though  they  were  shut  out 
from  all  the  world.  Behind  and  before  there  was 
a  circle  of  hills,  and  they  seemed  to  be  rather  upon 
the  bosom  of  some  sequestered  lake  than  upon  an 
inlet  of  the  sea  close  by  the  waters  of  the  stormy 
Atlantic. 


,  ill 


142 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


They  still  moved  on,  and  as  they  advanced,  the 
scenery  retained  tlie  same  general  features,  pos- 
sessing an  air  of  wild  and  romantic  grandeur  of  the 
most  striking  description.  At  length  they  camo 
to  a  place  where  the  cove  widened  into  a  smooth 
basin,  surrounded  by  an  amphitheatre  of  hills. 
The  water  was  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  as  black  as 
ink.  This,  they  were  informed,  was  the  head  of 
the  cove ;  and  straight  in  front  of  them  was  the 
base  of  Aspotogon,  which  was  bathed  by  these 
waters.  The  boat  approached  a  grassy  knoll  close 
by  this,  and  the  boys  all  got  out. 

Here,  then,  the  mystery  was  solved,  for  they 
had  come  up  by  this  passage-way  to  Aspotog 
itself.     Close  beside  them  there  was  a  steep  .. 
clivity,  bare  of  trees  just  here,  and  covered  with 
stones.    Far  up  trees  began,  and  hid  the  snmmit 
of  the  hill. 

The  picturesque  beauty  of  this  place^  the  deep, 
black  water,  the  high,  encircling  hills,  the  sombre, 
primeval  forests,  the  utter  seclusion,  all  produced 
a  profound  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  boys, 
who  always  were  alive  to  the  beauties  of  nature, 
and  who  here  had  something  in  addition  to  natural 
boauty.  For  their  thoughts  turned  at  once  to  that 
which  had  been  for  days  the  supreme  subject  in 
their  minds  —  the  treasure  of  the  buccaneers. 
Was  not  this  the  haunt  of  the  pirates  spoken  of  by 
the  governor  of  Sable  Island.  They  all  felt  sure 
that  it  must  be.     No  better  place  than  this  could  be 


A   ROMANTIC   SPOT. 


143 


found  in  all  tho  world.  Hero  was  a  hiding-placo 
without  a  parallel.  Hero  a  vessel  might  pass  from 
tho  outer  Keas  into  absolute  seclusion,  and  find  a 
haven  safe  from  all  storms,  shut  in  by  liigli  hills. 
Here,  too,  was  a  place  to  bury  their  treasure,  if 
such  was  their  desire ;  and,  if  tho  governor  of 
Sable  Island  had  spoken  the  truth,  the  place  best 
fitted  to  receive  the  pirate's  deposit  must  be  the 
very  knoll  on  which  they  were  standing. 

Here  it  was,  on  this  spot,  that  they  regretted 
most  deeply  the  absence  of  the  landlord.  It  was 
this  knoll,  above  all  things,  that  seemed  to  them  to 
contain  the  plunder  of  tho  Spanish  Main,  and  they 
felt  sure  that,  if  the  landlord  had  been  here,  ho 
would  have  told  them  all  about  it,  and  confirmed 
their  suspicions.  But  he  was  not  here,  and  his 
substitute  TurnbuU  was  of  no  use  whatever.  Ho 
either  could  or  would  tell  them  nothing.  He 
would  only  answer  in  monosyllables,  and  the  boys, 
after  a  fruitless  effort  to  draw  him  out  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Deep  Cove  and  its  local  traditions,  gave  up 
the  task  in  despair.  They  could  only  console  them- 
selves by  the  thought  that  they  could  pump  the 
landlord  on  their  return  to  Ctiester,  and  then,  if 
their  suspicions  were  confirmed,  they  could  visit 
the  place  again,  and  dig  for  tho  buried  treasure. 

And  what  a  glorious  place  it  was  to  dig,  if  this 
indeed  was  the  place  which  they  supposed  it  to  bo  ! 
How  completely  shut  out  it  was  from  all  observa- 
tion.    Here  they  might  dig  to  their  hearts'  content, 


i 


144 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


and  nobody  would  know  it.  Perhaps  the  treasure 
was  not  very  far  down.  The  knoll  rose  not  more 
than  ten  feet  or  so  above  the  sea.  Some  of  them, 
indeed,  thought  that  the  whole  knoll  was  the  work 
of  the  pirates,  and  was  neither  more  nor  less  than 
the  mound  of  earth  with  which  they  had  covered 
up  their  treasure.  This  view  was  even  more 
charming  than  the  other,  and  they,  went  about  it 
on  every  side,  examining  it  all  over,  and  scrutiniz- 
ing it  most  carefully. 

Suddenly  Tom  made  a  discovery  of  a  very  un- 
pleasant character.  As  he  wandered  about,  he 
found  himself,  all  at  once,  upon  a  regular  carriage 
road.  It  was  not  a  first-class  road  by  any  means, 
but  it  was  a  road  for  wheeled  vehicles,  and,  from 
its  appearance,  was  evidently  in  constant  use. 
The  sight  of  this  created  at  once  a  deep  diaap- 
pointment,  in  which  all  the  others  shared  as  soon 
as  they  saw  it.  They  found  that  the  seclusion  of 
the  place  was  broken  up.  To  dig  for  gold  here,  by 
the  side  of  a  public  road,  would  be  a  difficult  mat- 
ter, and  a  very  different  thing  from  what  they  had 
at  first  supposed.  So  completely  had  their  minds 
been  impressed  by  the  apparent  seclusion  of  Deep 
Cove,  tlipt  they  had  forgotten  all  about  the  houses 
and  sei 'lements  which  they  had  seen,  onl)?  a  short 
time  before,  on  the  outer  coast.  Yet  these  settle- 
ments were  only  a  little  distance  away,  and  this 
was,  no  doubt,  the  road  that  joined  them  together, 
which  had  to  make  the  circuit  of  Deep  Cove,  in 
order  to  clloct  a  connection. 


i 


SPECULATIONS  ABOUT  THE  BUCCANEERS.   145 


The  boys  now  seated  themselves  ipart,  out  of 
hearing  of  TurnbuU,  in  order  to  discuss  the  8it« 
nation. 

"  There  can't  be  any  doubt,"  said  Tom,  "  that 
this  is  the  mound  made  by  the  pirates  to  cover  up 
their  treasure.  They  didn't  dig  a  hole,  but  covered 
up  the  treasure  by  piling  earth  over  it." 

"  That's  about  it,"  said  Phil ;  "  and  what's  more, 
I  don't  believe  that  we'll  have  to  go  very  far 
down,  either." 

*'  I  wonder  if  any  one  has  ever  tried  it,"  said 
Arthur. 

^'I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Tom.  "There  isn't 
the  slightest  mark  on  the  place." 

"  But  wonldu't  people  have  tried  it,  if  it  is  really 
the  place  ?  " 

"Perhaps  they  don't  know  the  actual  place; 
and  wo  may  be  tlie  first  who  ever  suspected  this 
mound.     It  isn't  impossible." 

"  No ;  it  may  l)e  that  tlie  people  here  are  too 
dull;  or  it  may  be  just  a  happy  guess  of  ours, 
which  has  never  occurred  to  any  one  else." 

"  And  this  miserable  road  here,"  said  Tom,  dole- 
full}',  "  is  going  to  spoil  all." 

"  I  wonder  if  we  couldn't  mana^^-  to  dig,  in 
spite  of  the  road." 

"How?" 

"  Why,  we  might  stick  up  the  sail  of  the  Ante- 
lope, and  make  a  big  tent,  and  pretend  to  be  fish- 
ing, or  rongliing  it." 
10 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


"  Well,  there  may  be  something  in  that." 

"  Something !  Of  course  there's  everything  in 
that.  I  call  it  a  good  idea,  and  the  only  way  we 
can  go  about  it." 

"  But  wouldn't  we  be  bothered  with  visitors  ?  " 

<'  No ;  certainly  not ;  or,  at  any  rate,  they  couldn't 
get  in." 

"  They'd  see  the  eaith  thrown  up." 

"  O,  we  wouldn't  throw  up  much.  I  don't  be- 
lieve we'd  have  to  dig  far,  and  we  could  put  up 
both  sails,  so  as  to  cover  up  everything.  Some  of 
us  could  watch,  to  give  notice  to  the  diggers  to 
knock  off  in  case  any  one  passed  by." 

"  Well,  it's  not  a  bad  idea ;  and  it's  the  only 
thing  we  can  do.     So  it's  worth  trying." 

"  Yes;  but  there's  one  thing  first." 

"  What's  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  we'll  have  to  tsilk  with  the  landlord,  and 
see  if  we  can  find  out  from  him  what  the  probabili- 
ties are  about  this  place  being  really  tho  resort  of 
the  old  buccaneers." 


THE  ASCENT  OF  ASPOTOGON. 


147 


XII. 

The  Ascent  of  Aspotogon.  —  Slippery  Slopes.  — 
Treacherous  Stones.  —  Tangled  Thickets.  — A 
great  Disappointment.  —  Disgust  of  the  Party, 

—  A  refreshing  Bath.  —  Exploring  a  Cave.  — 
Where  are  the  Buccaneers  ?  —  In  the  Water.  — 

—  An  Alarm.  —  A  terrible  Monster.  —  Fright  and 
Flight.  —  Sauve  qui  pent! —  The  Monster  in 
Pursuit.  —  The  Agonies  of  Death.  —  Bruce 
ashore.  — He  turns  to  give  Help.  —  The  others  safe, 

—  Tom  y*t  in  Danger.  —  2Vie  abhorrent  Sight. 


iHE  boys  at  length  had  exl  wted  all  their 
powers  of  examination,  speculation  and 
conversation,  and  began  to  look  ul  >uit  lor 
something  to  do.  It  was  not  yet  the  appropriate 
time  to  dig  into  what  they  now  all  called  the 
"  mound,"  though  that  would  have  been  the  most 
agreeable  thing  in  the  world  in  their  present  frame 
of  mind ;  so  they  had  to  think  of  some  other  form 
of  active  exercise.  Phil  suggested  that  they 
should  climb  Aspotogon,  and  the  suggestion  was 
at  once  welcomed.  Here  they  were  at  its  base. 
They  had  come  to  visit  it,  and  they  could  not  be 


-J-tij'  '■'<  /i.i^aaH 


148 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


said  to  have  done  it,  unless  they  should  also  reach 
its  summit.  So  no  sooner  was  the  suggestion 
made  than  they  all  prepared  to  put  it  in  execu- 
tion. 

The  place  which  they  chose  for  the  ascent  was 
that  open  spot  already  mentioned.  Other  places 
were  overgrown  with  a  thick  forest,  with  under- 
brush, and  fallen  trees.  The  ascent  was  somewhat 
difficult.  The  slope  was  steej),  and  was  covered 
with  loose  stones  that  slid  at  every  step.  At  first, 
one  went  behind  the  other,  but  after  a  few  paces 
they  found  that  this  could  only  be  done  at  the  im- 
minent risk  of  their  precious  limbs,  for  the  stones 
dislodged  by  the  foremost  climber  invariably 
rolled  down  upon  the  one  following.  They  there- 
fore avoided  going  beliind  any  other  of  the  party, 
and  climbed  up  abreast.  At  length  the  slope  of 
sliding  stones  was  traversed,  and  they  reached  a 
place  which  was  covered  with  the  primeval  forest. 
Here  the  ascent  was,  if  possible,  even  more  toil- 
some. There  was  a  thick  underbrush  through 
which  they  had  to  force  their  way  by  a  process 
which  made  their  undt-niably  shabby  clothes  even 
more  shabby;  the  ground  was  very  irregular,  now 
sinking  into  holes,  again  rising  into  low  mounds  ; 
while  at  intervals  they  would  encounter  sonie 
fallen  tree,  over  which  they  had  to  climb,  or  else 
crawl  beneath  it.  Such  were  the  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  their  ascent. 

Those,  however,  were  all  happily  surmounted) 


A  GREAT  DISAPPOINTMENT. 


149 


and  the  whole  party  at  last  stood  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Aspotogon.  Here  a  deep  disappointment 
awaited  them.  They  had  taken  for  granted  that 
they  would  be  rewarded  by  an  extensive  view. 
They  hoped  to  overlook  the  whole  of  Mahone  Bay, 
to  count  its  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  islands, 
to  see  the  windings  of  Deep  Cove,  and  speculate 
upon  the  operations  of  the  buccaneers.  But 
instead  of  this  they  saw  —  nothing.  For  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill  was  all  overgrown  with  trees,  which 
shut  out  the  whole  view.  Such  a  reward  for  so 
much  toil  excited  the  deepest  disgust. 

"  And  this  is  Aspotogou  I  "  cried  Bruce.  **  Why, 
it's  a  complete  sham." 

"  Talk  of  this  place  in  comparison  with  Blom- 
idon  !  '*  said  Arthur.  "  Why,  it's  sacrilege.  This 
place  is  only  a  thicket." 

"  What  nonsense  to  call  it  a  mountain  !  "  said 
Tom.  "  I  don't  believe  it's  over  a  couple  of  hun- 
dred feet  or  so.  I  know  it's  ten  times  harder  to 
go  up  Blomidon." 

"  Aspotogon's  a  humbug,"  said  Phil.  "  What  do 
they  mean  by  saying  it's  the  highest  land  in  Nova 
Scotia?  It's  the  most  ridiculous  nonsense  I  ever 
heard  in  my  life.  Besides,  as  to  Blomidon —  why, 
the  view  from  that  is  tlie  finest  in  America.  And 
what  is  there  here  ?     A  parcel  of  scrubby  trees  !  " 

Such  being  the  sentiments  of  the  climbers,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  they  did  not  linger  long  on  the 
summit.    There  was  nothing  to  keep  them  there  ; 


I       i 


1 


I  iir 


5SB 


150 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


80  they  soon  descended.  The  way  down,  however, 
was  even  worse  than  the  way  up,  especially  when 
they  reached  the  loose  stones.  For  here  the 
stones  slid  from  under  their  feet  at  every  step,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  stand  upright.  Tom 
and  Phil  both  went  down,  and  a  score  of  big  stones 
rolled  about  them,  and  over  them,  bruising  and 
scratching  them  ;  while  before  them  a  whole  cart- 
load of  cobble  stones  and  granite  boulders  went 
bounding  down  towards  the  cove.  The  boys  tried 
it  a  little  way,  and  then  took  to  the  trees,  where 
they  completed  the  descent. 

On  reaching  the  knoll  once  more,  they  all  felt 
tired  and  hot.  Phil  proposed  a  bath,  and  the  pro- 
posal was  most  agreeable  to  all.  In  a  few  moments 
their  clothes  were  off  and  they  were  all  in  the 
water. 

The  water  was  pleasantly  warm.  They  had  not 
had  a  bathe  for  some  time,  and  here  it  seemed  the 
perfection  of  bathing.  There  was  no  surf;  the 
water  was  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  gave  the  quiet 
of  a  lake  with  the  salt  water  of  the  sea.  Phil  was 
the  best  swimmer  of  them  all,  and  struck  out 
boldly  to  cross  the  cove.  The  others  followed. 
On  reaching  the  middle,  Phil  turned  off  in  another 
direction,  to  a  point  on  the  shore  where  he  saw  a 
curious  rock  that  looked  like  a  cave. 

"  Boys,"  he  cried, "  there's  a  cave  ;  let's  go  and 
see  it." 

Ho  swam  on,  and  the  others  followed.    They  soon 


IN  THE  WATER. 


151 


reached  the  phice,  and  climbed  up  over  the  rough 
rock,  to  see  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  cave. 
To  their  disappointment,  it  was  not  a  cave  at  all, 
but  only  a  slight  recess  of  no  depth  in  particular. 

"  I  thought  we  might  find  some  traces  of  the 
buccaneers,"  said  Phil,  in  a  tone  of  vexation. 
«  We're  not  in  luck  to-day." 

"  0,  yes,  we  are,"  said  Tom,  cheerfully.  "  The 
discovery  of  that  mound  is  a  jj-^ood  deal." 

"  Yes ;  but  then  there's  thut  public  road,"  said 
Bruce. 

"0,  we'll  work  it  yet.  Only  wait  till  we  get 
our  tent  up." 

Once  more  the  boys  plunged  in  the  water,  and 
played,  and  sported,  and  dived,  and  floated,  and 
swam  this  way  and  that  way  ;  now  on  their  backs, 
and  again  in  their  natural  positions.  At  length 
they  began  to  feel  tired,  and  directed  their  course 
towards  the  shore. 

Tom  was  last,  swimming  along  leisurely  enough, 
and  thinking  about  the  niound  and  its  hidden  treas- 
ure. —  as  were  all  the  other  boys,  —  when  suddenly 
he  became  aware  of  a  movement  in  tlie  water 
behind  him,  as  of  some  living  thing  swimming.  It 
was  not  any  of  the  boys.  They  were  all  ahead ; 
and  it  could  not  be  Turnbull.  It  was  not  a  man 
at  all. 

In  an  instant  a  terrible  thought  came  to  him, 
that  sent  a  pang  of  dreadful  anguish  through  his 
inmost  soul. 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


A  shark  I 

That  was  the  thought  that  flashed  into  Tom's 
mind. 

Hastily  and  fearfully  he  turned  his  head,  dread- 
ing the  worst.  One  glance  was  enough.  That 
glance  froze  his  very  life-blood  with  utter  horror. 

There,  not  more  than  six  or  eight  yards  away, 
he  saw  a  black  muzzle  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
pointing  straight  towards  himself,  —  a  muzzle  nar- 
row, and  black,  and  horrible.  Tom  had  never  seen 
a  shark ;  but  he  had  read  of  them,  and  had  seen 
pictures  of  them.  One  look  was  enough  to  con- 
vince him  that  this  was  a  shark,  who  had  scented 
them  from  afar,  perhaps  from  the  outer  sea,  and 
was  now  about  to  seize  his  prey. 

His  brain  whirled,  and  all  the  scene  for  an 
instant  swam  before  his  eyes.  A  half  dozen  yards  1 
Could  he  hope  to  escape  ?  Impossible  I  Yet,  out 
of  utter  despair,  there  came  to  him  the  strength 
of  a  giant.  He  struck  out  with  frantic  and  fren- 
zied vehemence,  shouting  and  screaming  to  the 
other  boys,  — 

"  A  shark !  a  shark  I  a  sha-a-a-a-a-a-a-ark  !  1 1 " 

The  other  boys  heard  his  yells.  They  looked 
around  and  saw  all  —  the  ghastly  face  and  staring 
eyes  of  Tom,  with  the  horror  of  his  expression, 
and  beyond  —  the  black  muzzle.  At  tliat  sight, 
there  seized  them  all  a  terror  equal  to  that  of  Tom. 
In  any  other  position  they  would  have  sprung 
to  his  help.     But  what  help  was  possible  here  ? 


FRIGHT  AND  FLIGHT. 


153 


None.  They  were  naked.  They  were  unarmofl. 
They  were  in  the  water.  Helpless  thus,  and  de- 
spairing, there  was  nothing  which  any  one  of  them 
could  do,  but  to  swim  blindly  on.  It  was  an  in- 
stinct of  self-preservation  that  animated  them  all. 
They  fled  as  they  would  have  fled  from  an  earth- 
quake, or  a  roaring  torrent  —  blindly  —  in  frantic 
haste. 

Not  one  word  more  was  uttered.  Not  a  sound 
was  heard  except  the  plashing  noise  of  their  move- 
ments through  the  water,  and  the  heavy  pantings 
of  the  exhausted  swimmers.  Still,  though  ex- 
hausted, not  one  of  them  dared  to  slacken  his 
efforts.  Not  one  of  them  dared  to  look  around. 
In  Tom's  mind  there  was  the  chilling  horror  of 
the  monster  behind,  and  a  curdling  dread  of  that 
moment  when  he  would  be  seized.  In  tlie  minds 
of  the  others  there  was  an  equal  horror  of  expec- 
tation, as  they  listened  to  hear  the  yell  from  Tom, 
which  might  announce  that  all  was  over. 

Thus  they  hurried  on. 

Tom,  in  his  anguish,  thought  of  something  that 
he  had  once  read  of  about  sharks.  He  had  read 
that  the  shark  is  cowardly,  and  is  kept  off  by 
splashing  in  the  water  —  at  least  for  a  time  ;  just 
as  a  wild  beast  is  deterred  by  a  fire,  or  a  horso  is 
scared  by  a  log  at  the  road-side.  At  this  thought 
he  grasped.  It  was  his  only  hope.  As  he  swam, 
he  plashed  in  the  water,  with  all  his  force,  witii 
arms  and  legs,  making  it  boil  and  foam  all  around 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


him.  This  retarded  hia  progress  somewhat ;  but  at 
any  rate,  it  seemed  to  prolong  liis  safety,  for  tho 
monster  did  not  seem  inclined  to  draw  nearer. 

The  moments  passed  on.  They  were  not  far 
from  land,  —  yet,  0,  how  far  that  distance  seemed 
to  each  despairing  swimmer  I  Upon  their  distance 
what  issues  depended  !  0,  that  they  had  thought 
of  the  danger  in  time,  or  had  seen  it  a  little  while 
before  I 

The  moments  passed  on  —  moments  terrible,  full 
of  sickening  anguish,  of  horror  intolerable  1  How 
long  those  moments  seemed  1  To  Tom  each 
moment  was  prolonged  to  the  duration  of  an 
age,  and  an  age  of  hideous  expectation  —  ex- 
pectation of  a  doom  so  frightful,  so  abhorrent, 
that  every  nerve  tingled,  and  every  fibre  of  his 
body  quivered.  And  there,  through  the  noise  of 
the  splashings  made  by  his  own  efforts,  he  could 
plainly  distinguish  the  movements  of  the  monster 
behind.  It  did  not  seem  nearer,  but  it  was  near 
enough  to  seize  him  at  any  moment.  Why  did  tho 
monster  delay  ?  Was  it  his  splashings  which  de- 
terred it?  Tom  hoped  so,  and  thrust  the  water 
aside  with  greater  energy. 

And  now  he  could  hear  the  movement  of  the 
monster  a  little  towards  his  right.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  his  pursuer  was  about  to  close  with  him, 
to  attack  him  from  another  quarter.  He  remem- 
bered reading  somewhere  that  sharks  swim  around 
their  prey  before  seizing  it.    This  movement,  he 


8AUVE  QUI  PEUT. 


155 


thought,  was  for  that  purpose.  Every  moment  ho 
expected  to  see  the  dread  form  of  that  pursuer 
appearing  between  liim  and  Phil,  who  was  nearest. 
But  he  dared  not  look  to  assure  himself.  There 
was  too  much  horror  in  the  awful  sight.  He  dared 
not  turn  his  head  to  look  behind ;  he  dared  not 
turn  his  eyes  even  to  one  side.  He  coald  only 
keep  them  fixed,  with  a  wide  stare,  upon  vacancy, 
straight  before  him. 

The  moments  passed  on,  —  the  awful  moments, 
each  of  which  threatens  death,  when  the  delay  of 
the  impending  doom  fills  the  soul  with  awful  sus- 
pense; still  the  monster  hesitated  to  seize  hia 
prey.  Still  Tom's  ears  rang  with  the  noise  of  hia 
pursuer.  Still  the  other  boys,  as  though  their 
tongues  were  frozen  into  silence,  hurried  to  the 
shore.  Still  they  waited,  expecting  every  instant 
to  hear  the  terrible  shriek  which  should  announce 
the  awful  doom  of  Tom.  But  the  doom  was  still 
delayed,  and  still  Tom  waited,  and  still  the  others 
listened.  So  they  all  hastened,  till  each  one's 
heart  seemed  almost  ready  to  burst,  through  tlio 
frenzied  energy  of  his  efforts,  and  the  intensity  of 
his  emotions.  And  there,  behind  them  all,  —  a 
little  on  Tom's  right,  —  the  black  muzzle  advanced 
over  the  surface  of  the  water. 

In  that  desperate  struggle,  when  they  made  such 
frantic  efforts  to  reach  the  shore,  Bruce  happened 
to  be  first.  The  shore  to  which  they  were  swim- 
ming was  that  which  happened  to  be  nearest ;  not 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


tbo  grassy  knoll  before  mentioned,  but  a  beuoh 
covered  with  gravel,  which  was  intermixed  witii 
larger  stones.  Bui^hes  grew  close  down  to  this 
beach,  and  beyond  these  was  that  road  which  had 
80  disgusted  the  boys. 

At  this  place  Bruce  first  arrived.  His  feet 
touched  bottom.  No  sooner  did  he  feel  the  solid 
ground  under  his  feet,  than  all  his  panic  left  him, 
all  his  courage  returned,  and  his  presence  of  mind. 
Tom's  expected  death-yell  had  not  yet  burst  upon 
his  ear;  not  vet  had  his  shriek  announced  the 
grasp  of  the  monster.  There  might  yet  be  time 
to  save.  In  an  instant  he  had  thought  of  what 
he  should  do.  Plunging  through  the  water,  and 
bounding  forward,  he  soon  reached  the  beach';  and 
then,  stooping  down,  he  hastily  gathered  several 
large  stones.  Then  he  turned,  and  rushing  back  a 
few  steps,  stood  with  uplifted  arm,  taking  aim, 
and  preparing  to  hurl  these  stones  at  the  monster. 
At  that  very  moment  Arthur  reached  the  place, 
and  turned  to  look  back,  standing  close  by  Bruce. 
Phil  was  now  only  a  few  yards  away,  swimming 
in,  with  horror  yet  stamped  upon  his  lace.  Beyond 
him  was  Tom,  swimming,  kicking,  plunging,  rolling, 
dashing  the  water  in  all  directions,  and  making  as 
much  commotion  as  would  have  satisfied  an  ordi- 
nary whale.  As  Tom  thus  swam  on,  his  despairing 
glance  caught  sight  of  the  forms  of  Bruce  and 
Arthur.  There  they  stood,  up  to  their  waists  in 
water  —  Bruce  with  uphfted  arm,  holding  an  enor- 


THE  MONSTER  IN  PURSUIT. 


157 


mous  stone,  which  he  was  Jibout  to  throw  —  while 
in  his  other  hand  were  several  more  stones.  Ar- 
thur stood  by  his  side. 

Torn  devoured  tliern  witli  his  eyes ;  and  he 
struggled  on,  wondering,  yet  scarcely  daring  to 
hope —  wondering  whether  the  stone  which  Bruce 
was  preparing  to  throw  would  drive  back  the 
monster.  To  him  it  seemed  that  Bruce  was  de- 
laying for  an  unaccountable  time.  Why  did  he 
stand  idle,  when  every  moment  was  so  precious  ? 
Why  did  he  delay  to  throw  ?  Why  did  ho  not  do 
something  ?  Why  did  he  stand  there  as  if  rooted 
to  the  spot,  doing  notiiing  ?  Was  there  some  new 
horror  ?  Were  the  monster's  jaws  already  opened 
to  seize  his  prey? 

Tom  would  have  cried  to  Bruce  to  throw,  but 
he  could  not  speak.  Not  a  sound  could  he  utter. 
The  thought  came  to  him  that  Bruce  was  afraid 
to  throw,  for  fear  that  the  stone  might  strike  him 
instead  of  the  shark.  What  matter  ?  Far  better 
to  throw,  and  run  the  risk.  Tiiis  he  would  have 
said,  but  he  could  not  in  that  paralysis  of  horror. 

Suddenly  a  frown  came  over  Bruco's  face  — 
which  frown  as  suddenly  faded  away,  and  was 
succeeded  by  a  blank  look,  accompanied  by  an  in- 
describable expression.  The  same  changes  passed 
over  Arthur's  face.  Tom  saw  it  all,  in  his  despair, 
and  was  bewildered.  What  was  this  ?  Were  they 
deserting  him  ?  Would  they  give  him  up  ?  Im- 
possible I 


ii 


158 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


Yet  it  seemed  as  if  they  would.  For  suddenly 
Bruce's  uplifted  arm  descended,  and  the  stones  all 
dropped  into  the  water.  The  blank  look  upon  his 
face  was  succeeded  by  one  of  astonishment,  whicli 
faded  away  into  various  expressions,  which  suc- 
cessively indicated  all  the  varying  shades  of  vex- 
ation, shame,  and  sheepishness.  Arthur's  face 
was  equally  eloquent.  Had  not  Tom's  feelings  so 
pre-occupied  him,  he  might  have  found  a  study  in 
those  two  faces ;  but  as  it  was,  he  was  not  in  a. 
position  to  think  of  such  a  thing ;  for  these  looks 
and  gestures  only  served  to  inspire  him  with 
greater  alarm. 

"They  can  do  nothing,"  he  thought;  and  tho 
thought  brought  to  his  soul  a  bitterness  as  of 
death. 

At  this  moment  Phil's  feet  touched  bottom.  He 
Tushed  up  to  Bruce  and  Arthur,  and  turned,  as  they 
had  turned,  to  look  back. 

And  at  the  same  moment  the  abhorrent  sight 
appeared  to  Tom — of  the  black  muzzle  siiooting 
through  the  water  close  by  his  right  shoulder.  In- 
voluntarily he  shrunk  aside,  with  the  thought  that 
his  last  hour  had  come. 


THE  TBANSFORMATION. 


159 


XIII. 

A  Boar  of  LaugJiter  from  Bruce.  —  End  of  this 
tremendous  Adventure.  —  Beticence  of  the  ivhole 
Party  on  the  Subject.  —  No  one  can  taunt  the 
other.  —  Departure  front  the  Haunt  of  the  Bucca- 
neers. —  The  Antelope  expands  her  lohitt  Wings, 
hut  in  vain.  —  The  Precautions  of  the  venerable 
Corbet  against  dead  Calms.  —  AU  labor  at  the 
Sweeps.  —  The  Solace  of  Toil.  —  IVIiat  Vessel  are 
you  gliding  in? —  Taking  to  the  Boat.  —  Tumbling 
into  Bed. 


jUDDENLY  a  roar  of  laughter    burst    from 
Bru(5e. 
"It's  a  dog!    It's   a  dog!   "he   cried. — 
"  Tom's  shark's  turned  out  to  bo  a  dog  ! "  j 

And  saying  this,  he  burst  into  another  roar  of 
laughter.  The  laughter  proved  contagious.  Ar- 
thur and  Phil  both  joined  in.  Their  recent  horror 
had  been  so  gre.  *.  that  this  sudden  and  unex- 
pected turn  affected  them  in  a  comical  way,  and 
the  reaction  was  m  proportion  to  their  former 
panic  fear.  So  their  laughter  was  loud,  boister- 
ous, and  unrestruiued. 


160 


THE   TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


At  the  very  moment  when  this  cry  had  burst 
forth  from  Bruce,  together  with  the  peals  of 
laughter,  Tom  had  shrunk  back  in  horror  from  the 
black  muzzle  that  appeared  on  his  right.  But  as 
he  did  so,  and  at  the  very  moment  of  this  horror  in 
which  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  monster,  this 
monster  became  plainly  revealed,  and  he  saw  it  as 
it  was. 

He  saw,  what  Bruce  and  the  others  now  saw  — 
a  dog !  a  dog  whose  long,  sharp  muzzle  and  fore- 
head were  above  the  water,  as  also  part  of  his  back 
and  his  tail.  He  was  a  hound  of  some  kind. 
Where  he  had  come  from,  or  where  he  was  going 
to,  or  why  he  had  appeared  among  them,  they 
were,  of  course,  unable  to  conjecture.  Their  whole 
recent  terror  had  thus  been  the  result  of  pure 
fancy  in  Tom's  case,  and  in  the  case  of  the  others 
the  result  of  Tom's  first  shriek  of  alarm.  In  the 
case  of  all  of  them,  however,  the  whole  trouble  was 
owing  to  the  belief,  of  which  they  were  not  yet 
able  to  divest  themselves,  that  this  cove  was  some 
very  sequestered  spot.  So  convinced  had  they 
been  of  this,  that  even  the  sight  of  a  public  road 
had  not  altogether  disabused  them.  They  had 
been  determined  to  find  here  the  haunt  of  the  buc- 
caneers, and  were  unwilling  to  think  that  it  might 
be  a  common  resort,  or  even  a  regular  thorough- 
fare. And  therefore,  when  Tom  tiad  first  caught 
eight  of  this  black  muzzle  appearing  above  the 
surface  of  the  water,  he  had  been  incapable  of 


THE  CANINE  COMPANION. 


161 


thinking  about  anything  except  a  shark  ;  and  the 
horror  that  this  thought  created  within  him  had 
been  communicated  to  the  others  by  his  cries. 
Tom  was  the  real  cause  of  the  whole  mistake,  and 
no  one  felt  this  more  keenly  than  Tom  himself; 
yet  the  others  were  all  too  much  ashamed  of  their 
own  recent  terrors  to  twit  or  taunt  him  with  his 
unfounded  alarm. 

The  dog  now  swam  alongside  of  Tom,  and  a  lit- 
tle ahead  of  him,  turning  once  or  twice,  and  show- 
ing his  face  —  not  the  cruel  face  of  a  monster  of 
the  deep,  but  the  mild,  humane,  civilized,  and  be- 
nevolent countenance  of  a  hound  of  the  highest  re- 
spectability ;  a  face  the  sight  of  which  made  Tom 
feel  renewed  shame  at  his  foolish  and  baseless 
fears. 

The  other  boys  walked  up  to  the  beach,  and 
Tom  soon  joined  them.  The  hound  joined  them 
also.  He  was  a  very  friendly  dog,  and  shook  him- 
self so  violently  that  they  all  received  a  shower- 
bath  from  him.  They  patted  him,  and  petted  him, 
and  stroked  him ;  and  these  friendly  advances  of 
theirs  were  received  in  the  politest  possible  man- 
ner by  the  well-bred  hound,  who  finally  planted 
himself  on  his  haunches  in  the  attitude  known  to 
dogs  as  "  begging,"  which  so  affected  the  boys,  that 
they  would  have  given  him  some  biscuit  if  their 
coats  had  not  unfortunately  been  elsewhere.  But 
the  dog  had  evidently  his  own  business  to  attend 
to,  for  after  a  short  delay  he  took  his  leave,  and 
11 


I 


li 


162 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


trotted  up  the  road.  This  sudden  and  unexpected 
turn  which  had  been  given  to  what  had,  at  one 
time,  seemed  like  the  most  terrible  of  tragedies, 
rapidly  restored  their  strength  and  spirits,  in 
spite  of  the  tremendous  sensations  which  they 
had  but  recently  experienced,  and  the  exertions 
which  they  had  put  forth.  They  now  prepared  to 
return  to  the  place  where  they  had  left  their 
clothes  ;  and  since  the  fear  of  sharks  had  departed, 
they  took  to  the  water  again,  and  soon  reached  the 
knoll.  Here  they  clothed  themselves,  and  pre- 
pared to  return  to  the  schooner. 

On  reaching  the  Antelope,  they  were  all  sensible 
of  the  most  extreme  fatigue  and  prostration.  The 
exertions  which  they  had  made  in  the  ascent  and 
descent  of  Aspotogon,  and  more  especially  in  their 
efforts  to  escape  the  imaginary  shark,  were  the 
cause  of  this  in  part ;  but  a  greater  cause  existed 
in  the  intense  excitement  and  terror  to  which  they 
had  been  subject.  They  were  fortunate,  however, 
in  having  such  a  place  of  refuge  as  the  hold  of  the 
Antelope,  for  there  they  found  awaiting  them  a 
dinner,  prepared  by  Solomon,  in  which  that  famous 
cook  had  surpassed  himself,  and  liad  turned  out 
the  rarest  specimens  of  the  culinary  art.  Their 
exertions  had  sharpened  their  appetites,  and  the 
long  time  that  had  elapsed  since  breakfast  made 
this  dinner  seem  like  a  banquet.  It  acted  upon 
them  all  like  a  charm.  Their  physical  natures 
were  refreshed,  and    their    moral  natures    also. 


A  DEAD  CALM. 


163 


Strength  came  to  their  bodies,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  their  minds. 

The  affair  of  the  shark  was  not  mentioned.  Un- 
der other  circumstances,  Bruce,  and  Arthur,  and 
Phil  might  have  taunted  Tom  with  his  absurd  mis- 
take ;  but  as  it  was,  they  were  all  too  much  ashamed 
of  their  own  fears,  and  of  their  own  part  in  the 
affair.  The  consequence  was,  that  all,  with  one 
consent,  allowed  the  matter  to  drop,  and  made  no 
reference  to  it  whatever. 

After  dinner  they  went  upon  deck,  and  found  all 
sail  set,  and  the  Antelope  on  her  way  back  to 
Chester.  But  there  was  no  wind  whatever ;  it 
was  a  dead  calm,  and  consequently  the  return  to 
Chester  was  not  likely  to  be  accomplished  very 
speedily.  There  was,  from  time  to  time,  a  faint  puff' 
of  wind,  it  is  true,  which  served,  perhaps,  to  pre- 
vent the  calm  from  being  so  dead  as  it  might  have 
been ;  yet,  after  all,  their  motion  was  so  slight,  and 
their  progress  so  slow,  that  after  two  hours  they 
had  not  put  much  more  than  a  mile  between  them- 
selves and  the  shore. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  when  they  returned 
from  Deep  Cove  to  the  Antelope.  By  six  o'clock 
they  had  not  made  more  than  this  one  mile.  The 
boys  were  now  anxious  to  get  back  to  Chester  for 
various  reasons.  First,  they  wanted  to  have  a 
good  night's  rest  at  the  inn.  Secondly,  they  wanted 
to  see  the  landlord,  and  ask  him  all  about  Deep 
Cove.    Thirdly,  they  wanted  to  see  Bart  and  Pat, 


164 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


nnd  tell  them  about  their  wonderful  discovery  of  the 
"  Mound,"  and  their  theory  about  the  buried  treas- 
ure. But  the  failure  of  the  wind  made  it  seem  im- 
possible for  them  to  get  back  to  Chester  tliat  night, 
and  there  was  some  talk  of  anchoring.  To  this, 
however,  the  boys  would  not  listen,  and  they  urged 
Captain  Corbet  to  keep  on  and  take  advantage  of 
any  slight  puffs  of  wind  that  might  arise  from 
time  to  time.  Against  this  request  Captain  Corbet 
had  no  objections  to  oifer,  and  so  it  was  that  the 
Antelope  still  moved  on. 

The  Antelope  therefore  still  held  her  sails  ex- 
panded to  catch  any  breath  of  wind  that  might 
arise,  while  the  boys  lounged  along  the  taffrail, 
looking  impatiently  around.  At  another  time  they 
would  not  have  failed  to  admire  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  —  the  blue  sea  washing  the  long  line  of 
shore,  and  surrounding  the  numerous  isles ;  but 
on  the  present  occasion,  they  were  too  impatient 
and  too  tired  to  be  affected  by  it.  Time  thus 
passed,  and  at  length  the  sun  went  down  in  the 
western  sky  in  a  blaze  of  glory.  By  that  time 
the  boys  found  themselves  approaching  an  island, 
which  was  about  three  miles  from  Aspotogon,  and 
which  thus  indicated  to  them  the  distance  which 
they  had  gone  since  leaving  Deep  Cove.  Less 
than  three  miles  in  four  hours  had  been  their  rato 
of  progress. 

The  sun  thus  set,  and  the  moon  had  now  come 
out,  throwing  a  gentler  glow  upon  the  scene,  and 


II 


PRECAUTIONS  OP  CAPTAIN  CORBET. 


165 


lighting  it  up  witli  wonderful  beauty.  The  edges 
of  the  hills,  and  the  outh'nes  of  the  islands  seemed 
all  tipped  with  silver.  On  one  side  appeared  Aa- 
potogon,  and  Ironbound,  and  Tancook,  rising  out 
of  the  dark,  shadowy  water;  while  on  the  other 
side  the  islands  shone  in  the  lustre  of  the  moon, 
and  there,  too,  a  broad  pathway  of  radiant  light' 
lay  outspread  upon  the  surface  of  the  water, 
reaching  from  the  schooner  to  the  horizon,  where 
a  low  coast  bounded  the  scene.  Never  had  Ma- 
hone  Bay  appeared  clothed  in  greater  loveliness. 

Captain  Corbet  had  learned  a  very  useful  lesson 
during  this  last  voyage  of  the  Antelope,  and  that 
was  to  have  some  means  on  board  by  which  he  would 
not  drift  so  helplessly.  The  long  drifts  which  had 
borne  him  hither  and  thither  over  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  and  over  the  ocean,  had  left  a  deep  im- 
pression ;  and  accordingly  he  had  taken  advantage 
of  this  visit  to  Chester  to  procure  a  pair  of  long 
sweeps,  which  may  be  described  as  oars  of  the 
largest  size.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  sweeps 
were  brought  into  requisition,  one  of  them  being 
worked  by  Tunibull,  Bruce,  and  Phil,  while  the 
other  was  taken  in  hand  by  Wade,  Arthur,  and 
Tom.  The  venerable  Corbet  stood  at  the  helm  and 
steered,  while  Solomon  stood  at  the  bows,  gazing 
pensively  into  space,  and,  as  Tom  declared,  attitudi- 
nizing for  a  figure-head. 

The  sweeps  were  moved  with  very  long,  slow 
strokes.     The  two  parties  who  managed  them  at 


I 


166 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


first  made  an  effort  to  work  them  in  time,  but  at 
length  giive  this  up,  and  each  made  their  stroke  at 
random,  without  reference  to  the  others.  Whether 
the  Antelope  made  any  progress  or  not,  was  not 
for  a  long  time  perceptible ;  but  still  the  boys  all 
felt  as  though  they  were  doing  something,  and  the 
lapse  of  time  certainly  seemed  to  bring  them  nearer 
to  the  island  which  they  had  been  so  long  ap^ 
preaching. 

The  exercise  was  a  pleasant  one,  and  in  order 
to  cheer  their  spirits,  they  burst  forth  into  songs. 
One  wa'B  volunteered  by  Tom. 


What  vessel  are  you  gliding  in? 

Pray  tell  to  me  its  name ; 
Our  vessel  is  the  Antelope, 

And  Corbet  is  my  name, 

And  Corbet  is  my  name. 

And  Corbet  is  my  name ; 
Our  vessel  is  the  Antelope, 

And  Corbet  is  my  name. 

At  this  Captain  Corbet's  venerable  face  was  all 
Buffused  with  sudden  smiles. 

"  Why  railly,"   said  he,   "  railly  now,  dew  tell. 

,  Why,  ef  you  ain't  ben  an  done  it  agin.     Only  think, 

more   himes   about  me.     Why,   it  does  beat  all. 

How  upon  airth  dew  you  ever  manage  to  fix  em  up 

that  way  ?  It  does  —  beat  —  my  —  grand  niother  1  '* 

Other  songs  followed,  till  almost  everything  was 
made  use  of  that  they  had  ever  heard  —  the  Ca- 
nadian  Boat  Song,  the   Maltese   Boat  Song,  and 


SOLACE  OP  TOIL. 


167 


others  of  a  kindred  character,  iiichiding  "  Hail  to 
the  Chief,"  and  «  March  1  March  !  Ettrick,  and 
Teviotdale."  In  this  way  the  time  was  beguiled, 
and  their  toil  at  the  long  sweeps  lightened. 

Around  them  the  whole  scene  glowed  in  the 
moonlight.  The  silver  islands  set  in  silver  seas, 
clothed  in  soft  lustre,  lay  reflected  in  the  smooth 
water.  Overhead  the  moon  hung  in  a  cloudless 
sky,  and  lightened  up  all  things  with  its  soft  and 
mellow  radiance.  They  could  see  also  by  the 
change  in  their  position,  which  they  noticed  from 
time  to  time,  that  they  were  actually  making  some 
progress  with  their  sweeps,  and  the  discovery, 
when  it  was  made,  encouraged  them  not  a  little. 

So  at  it  they  all  went  again,  more  vigorously 
than  ever,  and  sang  new  songs,  some  of  which  were 
of  a  kind  never  before  heard  in  these  waters.  One 
in  particular,  which  was  sung  to  a  remarkable  fugue 
tune,  was  called  Ode  to  Disappointment. 

I  never  had  a  piece  of  bread 
Particularly  wide, 

Partic-kik-kik-kik-kik-cu-lar-ly  wide, 
But  fell  upon  the  dusty  floor, 
All  on  the  buttered  side. 
All  on  the  but — 
All  on  the  but — 
All  on  the  but- 
All  on  the  but — 
All  on  the  but-tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-tered  side. 


And  always  thus,  from  cliildhood's  hour, 

This  luck  on  me  has  fell. 

This  luck-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk  on  me  has  feU. 


168  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 

There  always  comes  a  soaking  shower. 
When  I've  no  umberell, 
When  I've  no  umb — 
When  I've  no  umb — 
When  I've  no  umb — 
When  I've  no  umb — 

When  I've  no  umb-bum-bum-bum-bum-bum- 
bum-be-rell ! 

This  spirited  ode  was  the  arrangement  of  Phil, 
who  prided  himself  hugely  upon  it.  He  did  not 
claim  it  as  original,  but  as  having  been  "  arranged  " 
and  "  adapted  "  to  its  present  tune. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  Bruce  at  h  j^th,  "  I  dare  say 
we  are  making  some  progress ;  but  it  strikes  me 
that  it  hardly  pays." 

«  No,"  said  Tom.  "  At  this  rate  it'll  take  us  till 
to-morrow  morning  to  make  another  mile." 

"  I  don't  object  to  rowing  all  night,"  said  Phil, 
"  but  I  do  object  to  row  without  getting  the  benefit 
of  it." 

"  I  move,"  said  Arthur, "  that  we  vote  the  sweeps 
a  humbug." 

"  I  second  that  motion,"  said  Phil. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Bruce, "  it's  being  moved  and 
seconded,  that  the  sweeps  are  a  humbug.  Those 
of  that  mind  will  please  manifest  it  by  saying  Ay." 

t<  j^y  j "  rang  forth  from  Arthur,  Tom,  and  Phil. 

"  Contrary  minds,  Nay." 

No  response. 

**  It's  a  vote,"  said  Bruce.  And  now,  gentlemen, 
we  may  as  well  consider  what's  to  be  done  next." 


1> 


A  CONSULTATION. 


169 


J' 


"  0,  well."  said  Pliil,  as  he  and  the  other  boys 
left  the  sweeps  which  Turnbull  and  Wade,  how- 
ever, still  kept  working.  "  I  suppose  there's  noth- 
thing  left  to  do  but  to  turn  in." 

'•  It  can't  be  helped,"  said  Arthur. 

"  We'll  have  to  make  the  best  of  it,"  said  Tom. 

"  I  say,  boys,"  said  Bruce,  "  why  can't  we  take 
the  boat  and  row  to  Chester?  " 

"  A  good  idea,"  cried  Arthur.  *'  Capital.  I  only 
wish  we'd  done  it  before." 

"  Captain,"  said  Tom,  "  we're  going  to  take  the 
boat." 

"  Hadn't  you  better  wait  a  little,"  said  the  anxious 
Corbet,  who  was  evidently  not  pleased  with  the 
proposal. 

"  0  there's  no  use ;  we  want  to  get  to  Chester 
to-night.  You'll  get  along  before  morning.  How 
many  miles  is  it  from  here  ?  "  he  asked,  turning  to 
Turnbull. 

"Four,"  said  that  taciturn  individual. 

"  Four  miles.     Well,  boys,  what  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  I'm  agreed,"  said  Bruce. 

"  And  I,"  said  Arthur. 

"  Anything's  better  than  this,"  said  Phil ;  "  so  I 
agree  to  the  boat." 

With  this  agreement  they  all  turned  to  the  boat, 
and  got  in.  A  few  brief  directions  were  given  by 
Turnbull,  and  the  boys  pulled  away.  First  Bruce 
and  Arthur  pulled,  then  Tom  and  Phil.  Taking 
turns  in  this  way,  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  see- 


170 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


ing    themselves  making   good   progress,  and    at 
length  reached  the  wharf  at  Chester. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  They 
knocked  up  the  people  at  the  inn,  and  hurried  up 
to  their  rooms.  They  were  so  utterly  worn  out, 
and  so  sleepy,  that  they  did  not  think  of  asking 
about  Bart  and  Pat,  but  tumbled  into  bed,  and  in  a 
few  moments  were  all  sound  asleep. 


A  TERRIBLE  SITUATION. 


171 


XIV. 

Bart  and  Pat.  —  Terrible   Situation.  —  The  first 
Horror,  and  its  Effects.  —  An  Attempt  to  dimh. 

—  Another  Attempt  to  scale  the  Corners.  —  Try- 
ing the  Sides.  —  Too  wide  hy  far.  —  Fat  wants  to 
tie  a  Rope  to  Nothing.  —  The  Pickaxe.  —  New 
Attempts  at  Climbing.  —  New  Disappointments. 

—  PaVs  Fertility  of  Invention.  —  A  neto  Sugges- 
tion. —  A  dangerous  Experiment.  —  Running  the 
Risk.  —  Tugging  at  the  Logs.  —  27ie  obstinate 
Fabric.  —  Baffled  and  beaten. 


HERE,  side  by  side,  stood  the  two  boya,  at 
the  bottom  of  that  deep  pit,  into  which  they 
had  descended ;  and,  standing  there,  they 
looked  with  unutterable  feelings  at  the  opening 
far  above  them,  across  which  was  suspended  the 
treacherous  beam.  At  first  there  was  a  thrill  of 
expectation,  in  both  of  them,  that  the  beam  was 
even  then  breaking,  and  at  any  instant  might  fall 
and  crush  them.  It  had  sagged  down  so  far,  and 
the  fracture  was  so  complete,  that  the  end  might 
come  in  another  moment.  Thus  they  stood,  and 
looked  up  in  silence,  and  with  hearts  that  throbbed 


172 


THE  TREASURE  OF   THE  SEAS. 


fast  and  painfully.    Neither  of  them  spoke  a  word. 
It  was  as  much  as  they  could  do  to  breathe. 

A  terrible  position  it  was,  and  how  terrible  they 
knew  only  too  well.  One  hundred  feet  below  tlio 
ground,  and  seventy  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
sea  —  such  was  the  depth  of  that  pit.  It  was  so 
long  and  so  narrow  that  the  bottom  was  quite  dark. 
As  they  stood  with  their  eyes  thus  fixed  on  the 
threatening  beam,  they  noticed  that  the  sky  beyond 
it  had  changed  in  its  color  from  blue  to  black,  and 
two  or  three  stars  were  faintly  visible.  It  was  like 
the  sky  of  night,  and  not  like  that  of  day.  That 
little  piece  of  sky  thus  indicated  to  them  the  change 
in  their  fate,  and  seemed  to  frown  upon  them  from 
above. 

In  their  minds  there  was  one  prevailing  sense 
of  mute  horror  and  awful  expectation;  yet,  to- 
gether with  this,  a  thousand  other  thoughts  flashed 
through  them  —  thoughts  of  friends,  thoughts  of 
home,  wild  speculations  as  to  the  possibility  of 
escape  ;  and  with  these  they  noticed  also  that  black 
piece  of  sky,  with  its  faintly-twinkling  stars.  But 
between  them  and  it,  between  the  upper  world 
which  that  sky  spoke  of  and  themselves,  there  in- 
tervened that  broken  beam  stretching  across  like 
a  bar,  to  shut  them  in  forever. 

Now,  gradually,  the  first  horror  passed.  It  was 
too  intense  a  feeling  to  endure.  The  delay  of 
their  fate  made  them  calmer,  and  brought  back 
presence  of  mind  ;  for  the  beam  moved  ao  more  — 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO   CLIMB. 


173 


it  fell  not  —  perhaps  it  might  remain  as  it  was, 
threatening  them,  but  doing  no  more  than  that. 
This  respite  from  their  doom  tlius  brought  them 
back  to  themselves,  and  made  them  search  eagerly 
the  sides  of  the  pit  as  they  looked  up. 

"I  wonder  if  we  can't  climb  it,  thin,"  said  Pat. 

"  I'm  afraid  not,"  said  Bart,  in  a  dejected  tone. 

"  Sure  an  there's  no  harrum  in  given  it  a  thrial," 
said  Pat ;  and,  as  he  said  so,  he  laid  his  hands  upon 
the  staying  around  the  hole.  Scarce  had  he  done 
this,  than  he  was  aware  of  a  difference  between 
the  staying  here,  and  that  which  was  higher  up. 
Bart,  also,  who  had  done  as  Pat  had  done,  and  tried 
to  find  some  way  of  climbing,  noticed  the  same 
thing. 

Had  the  staying  below  been  like  that  above,  the 
question  of  their  escape  would  very  soon  have  been 
settled  by  such  practised  climbers  as  these  two ; 
but,  unfortunately,  there  was  a  very  important  dif- 
ference. Above,  the  staying  had  been  made  of 
stout  planks  and  deals,  and  these  were  far  enough 
apart  to  have  served  for  grasping  by  both  hands 
and  feet.  They  would  thus  have  afforded  an  actual 
ladder.  Below,  however,  it  was  very  different. 
The  staying  of  the  sides  of  the  pit  was  made,  not 
of  planks,  which  could  be  grasped  by  the  hands, 
but  of  round  logs,  which  the  hands  could  not 
hold,  though  the  feet  could  insert  themselves  well 
enough  in  the  interstices.  These  logs  ref  i-od  close- 
ly one  upon  the  other,  nor  was  there  a'ly  way  by 


174 


THE   TREASURE   OP   THE  SEAS. 


which  the  hands  could  pass  between  them  or 
around  them  so  as  to  grasp  them.  Tliis,  then,  was 
the  discovery  that  Bart  and  Pat  made  the  moment 
that  they  tried  their  hands  at  climbing;  and  thus 
the  first  plan  of  escape  which  had  suggested  itself 
was  baffled  most  completely. 

"  If  we  only  had  the  planks  I "  sighed  Bart :  "  but 
these  round  logs  give  no  chance." 

Pat  made  no  reply. 

Bart  then  tried  to  climb  at  the  corner,  for  here 
there  would  be  more  advantage  to  the  feet,  since 
the  sides,  being  at  right  angles,  would  afford  an 
easier  foothold.  But,  though  it  was  easier  for  the 
feet,  it  gave  no  greater  help  to  the  hands  than  be- 
fore. Still,  there  were  the  round  logs;  nor  was 
there  at  the  angle  formed  by  the  sides  any  spaces 
sufficient  to  receive  the  hand  and  afford  a  hold. 

"  If  we  cud  only  get  up  as  far  as  the  rope,"  said 
Pat,  "  it  might  give  us  a  help,  so  it  might." 

"  What !  when  that  beam  is  hanging  there  ? 
Why,  if  you  touched  that  rope  the  beam  would 
come  down." 

"  Sure  an  I  forgot  that  for  the  moment,  so  I 
did,"  said  Pat,  dejectedly. 

"  Strange  we  didn't  notice  that  the  beam  was 
rotten,"  said  Bart,  mournfully.  "  It  looked  sound 
enough." 

"  It  looked  as  sound  as  a  nut,  so  it  did  ;  and  how 
it  managed  to  howld  on  till  I  jarked  it  bates  me 
intirely,  so  it  does." 


TRYING   THE  SIDES. 


175 


"  It  must  have  been  sagging  down  and  cracking 
all  the  time.  The  only  wonder  is,  that  it  didn't  give 
way  when  we  were  higher  up.  If  it  had,  there'd 
have  been  an  end  of  us." 

"  Sure  'n  you  niver  spoke  a  truer  word  in  your 
life,  so  you  didn't;  an,  be  the  same  token,  it's  a 
good  sign,  so  it  is,  an  a  fine  thing  intirely,  that 
we're  down  here  now  at  this  blissid  minute,  wid 
our  bones  not  broke  to  smithereens.  Sure  but  it 
makes  me  fairly  shiver  whin  I  think  of  you  an  me, 
one  after  the  other,  hangin  away  up  there  from  that 
bit  of  rotten  stick  that  was  broken  all  the  time." 

"  If  this  wasn't  quite  so  wide,"  said  Bart,  '•  we 
might  stretch  our  legs  across,  and  get  up  that  way. 
I've  seen  men  go  down  into  wells  as  easy  as  you 
please,  just  by  stretching  their  legs  across." 

"  Sure  an  meself  it  is  that's  seen  that  same," 
said  Pat,  briskly ;  "an  I  wondher  whether,  afther 
all,  our  legs  mightn't  be  long  enough  to  do  it." 

"  (),  no,"  said  Bart ;  "  it's  too  wide  altogether." 

"  Sure  an  we  might  then ;  an  there's  nothin  like 
tryin." 

With  these  words  Pat  set  himself  to  try,  and 
Bart  did  the  same.  They  tried  by  stretching  their 
legs  as  far  as  possible  on  each  side  to  secure  a  foot- 
hold, and  thus  ascend.  Had  the  pit  been  nar- 
rower, or  had  their  legs  been  longer,  they  could 
have  done  it ;  but,  as  it  was,  they  found  it  quite 
impossible.  They  could,  indeed,  touch  the  bejims 
on  either  side  if  thoy  stretched  their  legs  as  far 


176 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


apart  as  possible ;  but,  having  accomplished  this, 
they  could  do  no  more.  They  could  not  raise  their 
feet  higher  to  the  log  above.  So  rigid  were  their 
legs  when  thus  spread  apart,  that  they  could  not 
raise  them.  At  length  they  were  compelled  to 
desist  from  these  efforts. 

"  It's  too  wide  intirely,  so  it  is,"  said  Pat,  dole- 
fully. "  An  whativer  was  the  use  of  makin  the 
hole  so  wide  is  beyond  me.  It  wasn't  any  use  at 
all  at  all,  so  it  wasn't ;  an  there  you  have  it." 

"  The  fault's  in  our  legs  as  much  as  in  the  pit," 
said  Bart.  "  If  we  were  five  years  older  we  might 
do  it." 

"  Sure  I  always  thought  I  cud  climb  betther  thin 
any  man  till  this  blissid  momint,"  said  Pat. 

"  I  only  wish  1  was  a  man  for  about  five  min- 
utes," said  Bart,  fervently. 

"  Two  minutes  'd  jist  do  it,  so  it  wad,"  said  Pat. 

"  Yes,"  said  Bart. 

"  An  these  logs  don't  go  all  the  way  up.  If  we 
cud  only  get  up  to  the  planks  we'd  be  all  right." 

"  I  didn't  notice  particuhvrly,"  said  Bart,  "  but  it 
seems  to  mo  tliat  the  plank  staying  reaches  nearly 
half  way  down." 

"  Full  that,  ivery  inch  of  it,  so  it  does,"  said  Pat. 

"  If  we  could  only  get  up  as  far  as  that ! "  ex- 
claimed Bart. 

"  Faith,  I  have  it,"  said  Pat,  suddenly. 

"  What?"  asked  Bart,  with  some  excitement. 

"  I  have  it,"  repeated  Pat.  "  It's  a  rope  wo  want." 


I 


PAT  WANTS  TO  TIE   A   ROPE  TO  NOTHING. 


177 


"  A  rope  !  "  exclaimed  Bart 

"  Yis,  a  bit  of  a  rope ;  ony  we  haven't  got  one 
long  enough." 

"  Why,  what  good  would  a  rope  bo  to  us  here  ?  " 
asked  Bart,  in  a  puzzle  to  know  what  in  the  world 
Pat  had  got  into  his  head. 

"  Sure,  I  have  it.  Can't  we  twist  a  rope  an  make 
this  longer?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  you're  after,"  said  Bart,  im- 
patiently.    "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Sure  an  we  can  tear  up  our  coats  an  shirts,  an 
make  a  rope  that  way  ;  ony,"  he  added,  thouglit- 
fully,"  it  mightn't  be  long  enough,  so  it  migiitn't." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Bart ;  "  you're  crazy.  What 
do  we  want  of  a  rope  ?  " 

"  Sure,  to  climb  with." 

"  How  ?     Where  would  you  fasten  it  ?  " 

"  Fasten  it,  is  it  ?  "  said  Pat,  in  a  dubious  tone  ; 
"  sure  that  same  I  niver  thought  of  at  all  at  all.  I 
forgot  all  about  it,  so  1  did." 

"  Well,  we'll  have  to  do  something,"  said  Bart. 
"  We  can't  stand  still  here  and  die." 

"  There's  the  bit  of  a  pick  here,"  said  Pat. 
"Sure  an  we  ought  to  be  able  to  do  somethin 
with  the .  pick,  so  we  ought." 

And  with  these  words  he  stooped  and  lifted  up 
the  pickaxe  which  he  had  thrown  in  before  they 
went  down,  and  which,  in  the  anguish  and  excite- 
ment which  they  had  thus  far  felt,  had  been  alto- 
gether forgotten. 
12 


178 


THE   TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"  We  ought  to  do  something  with  that,"  said 
Bart. 

"  It  won't  do  any  good  to  more  thin  ono  of  ui=5," 
said  Pat,  sadly,  "  for  only  o.ne  of  us  can  use  it  at  a 
time." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Bart ;  "  if  one  of  us  can  only 
climb  up,  can't  he  help  the  other  ?  " 

"  Sure  an  so  he  can,"  said  Pat ;  "an  I  nivor 
thought  of  that,  so  I  didn't." 

"  I  wonder  if  we  can  climb  with  that  ?  "  said 
Bart. 

"  Sure  an  we  can  try,"  said  Pat ;  ".an  we  ought 
to  do  somethin,  so  we  ought." 

With  these  words,  he  thrust  the  pick  between 
two  timbers,  a  few  feet  above  his  head,  and  then 
clutching  it,  he  raised  himself  up  to  a  level  with 
the  pick,  in  the  easiest  way  possible.  Hanging 
there  for  a  moment,  with  his  hands  grasping  the 
pick,  and  his  feet  stuck  tight  between  the  logs,  he 
tried  to  raise  himself  higher.  To  do  this,  it  was 
necessary  to  hold  himself  here,  while  removing 
the  pick,  ami  raising  it  to  the  logs  farther  up.  But 
here  was  the  fatal  and  insuperable  difficulty ;  and 
this  brought  them  exactly  back  to  where  tJiey  were 
before.  Do  what  he  would,  his  hands  could  not. 
grasp  the  n^vMul  In^s  with  HulHcient  firmness  to 
maintain  a  hold.  After  a  few  efforts  he  gave  it  up, 
and  jumped  down. 

Bart  then  tried,  making  his  attempt  at  the  cor- 
ner ol  the  pit,  whore   the  ai:gle  of  the  two  sides 


NEW   ATTEMPTS   AT   CLIMBING. 


179 


favored  liim  more.  Striking  tlio  pick  in  between 
two  logs,  as  higli  up  as  lie  could  reach,  lie  raised 
liiniself  up  as  Pat  had  done,  and  then  tried  to  lift 
himself  higher.  He  found  a  place  which  he  could 
grasp,  and  clinging  to  this  with  a  convulsive  effort, 
he  raised  the  pick  to  the  logs  farther  up,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  thrusting  it  into  a  new  place.  Then  he 
drew  himself  up  higher,  and  once  more  searched 
about  for  a  place  to  grasp.  But  now  no  placa 
could  be  found.  In  vain  he  tried  to  thrust  his 
fingers  between  the  logs;  in  vain  ho  sought  to 
grasp  the  round  surface.  It  was  a  thing  that 
could  not  be  done.  After  a  long  but  iiuitless 
effort,  Bart  was  compelled  to  give  up.  Yet  he 
was  not  satisfied.  He  tried  the  other  three  cor- 
ners of  the  pit  in  succession.  In  all  of  them  his 
efforts  met  with  the  same  resuU  —  failure,  utter 
and  hopeless. 

At  length  he  ffung  down  the  pick,  and  stood 
panting. 

"  Deed,  thin,  an  I'm  glad  to  see  you  back,  so  I 
am,"  said  Pat. 

"  Glad  ! "  said  Bart. 

"  Yis,  glad  I  am ;  that  same's  what  I  mane. 
I'd  ratlier  have  you  fail  down  here,  than  half  way 
up.  You  niver  cud  go  all  the  way  ;  an  if  you 
had  to  turrun  back  when  half  way  up,  it's  a  sore 
head  I'd  have  watchin  you  ;  an  you  cud  niver 
expict  to  git  back  hero  again  without  broken 
bones." 


180 


THE  TBEASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


"  If  WO  only  had  one  other  pickaxe/'  said  Bart, 
"  I  could  do  it." 

"  Of  coorso  you  cud ;  an  if  we  had  dizens  of 
other  things,  you  cud  do  it,  ho  you  cud,  an  so  cud 
I ;  but  there's  the  throuble,  an  that's  what  we've 
got  to  contind  against,  so  it  is.'' 

"  We'll  have  to  do  something,"  said  Bart,  gloom- 
ily and  desperately. 

"  Sure  an  that's  thrue  for  you,  so  it  is,  an  you 
niver  spoke  a  thruer  word  in  yer  life,  so  you 
didn't,"  said  Pat ;  '*  an  be  the  same  token,  it's  with 
this  pick,  so  it  is,  that  we've  got  to  work,  —  for 
it's  the  only  thing  we've  got  at  all  at  all." 

"  What  can  wo  do,"  said  Bart,  in  the  same 
gloomy  tone,  "  if  we  can't  climb?" 

**  Sure  an  there's  lots  more,  so  there  is,"  said 
Pat,  who  on  this  occasion  showed  a  wonderful  fer- 
tility of  invention.  "  I've  ben  a  thinkin,"  he 
added,  "  that  we  might  dig  away  these  logs  with 
the  pick." 

«  What  good  would  that  do  ?  "  asked  Bart. 

"  Sure  an  we  might  dig  thim  out  one  by  one,  an 
pile  thim  up  as  we  dug  thim,  an  so  we  might  make 
a  pile  of  logs  high  enough  to  reach  to  the  top." 

Bart  was  silent  for  a  few  moments.  The  sug- 
gestion was  certainly  of  some  value. 

**  I  wonder  whetlier  we  mightn't  shako  that  log 
down  on  us,  by  pounding  away  down  hero?" 

"Sure  an  it's  the  only  tiling,"  said  Pat.  "  We've 
got  to  run  some  risk,  of  coorso ;  an  I  don't  tiiink 


TUGGTXO   AT  THE   LOOS. 


181 


that  our  blows  would  be  felt  so  high  up.  Besidos, 
we  needn't  stlirike  very  hard." 

"  Well "  said  Bart,  "  it's  the  only  thing  we 
can  do." 

Upon  this,  Pat  inserted  the  point  of  the  pick 
between  the  logs  near  him,  and  tried  to  pry  the 
lower  one  out  at  one  end.  But  the  stubborn  log 
resisted  his  efforts.  It  had  been  too  firmly  fixed 
in  its  place  to  yield  to  such  a  slight  force  as  that 
which  he  could  bring.  Bart  lent  his  efforts,  and 
the  two  exerted  themselves  with  their  utmost 
strength,  but  altogether  in  vain. 

**  If  we  cud  ony  git  out  one  log,"  eaid  Pat, 
**  it  wud  be  aisy  workin  out  the  others,  so  it 
wud  ;  but  this  one  seems  a  tough  customer,  so 
it  does." 

"  There  ought  to  be  some  log  about  here,"  said 
Bart,  "weaker  than  others." 

"  Sure  an  that's  thrue  for  you,"  said  Pat,  "  an  so 
we'll  jist  thry  thim  all  one  afther  another,  ivery 
one  of  them.  We've  got  lots  of  time,  so  wo 
have." 

"  See,  here's  a  smaller  one,"  said  Bart. 

Pat  struck  the  point  of  the  pick  where  Bart 
pointed,  and  once  more  the  two  boys  exerted  them- 
selves to  pry  out  the  log.  But  though  this  one 
was  somewhat  smaller  than  the  other,  it  was  quite 
as  firmly  fixed,  and  the  utmost  efforts  of  both  of 
them  failed  to  move  it,  even  in  the  slightest  degree, 
from  its  bed. 


182 


THE  TnEASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


"  Sure  an  there's  no  danger  of  this  pit  iver  cavin 
in,"  said  Pat,  as  he  desisted  from  his  efforts. 
"  They  made  this  pit  strong  enough  to  howld  a 
iliphaut,  so  they  did  —  tlie  worse  for  us." 

"  Well,"  said  Bart,  "  we'll  have  to  try  every  log 
that's  within  reach." 

"  Sure  an  we  ought  to  find  eomo  weak  spot  if 
wo  do,  so  wo  ought,"  said  Pat. 

Bart  now  inserted  the  pick  between  the  logs 
just  above  the  last  one. 

"  This  is  jist  what  wo  intindcd  to  do  whin  wo 
come  down,"  said  Pat ;  "  for  weren't  wo  goin  to 
thry  to  git  to  the  money-hole?" 

Bart  said  nothing. 

The  two  boys  now  tugged  away  as  before.  But 
the  result  was  the  same,  for  this  log  was  as  firmly 
fixed,  as  tough,  and  as  obdurate  as  the  others. 

"  Sure  an  it's  hard,  so  it  is,  that  the  very  log  we 
trusted  our  lives  to  should  turrun  out  to  bo  rotten, 
an  all  these  logs  here  should  be  as  sound  an  as 
strong  as  steel  an  iron,  ivery  mother's  son  of 
thira.  If  we  cud  only  find  a  rotten  one,  an  pull  it 
out  of  its  place,  we'd  be  able  to  git  at  the  others 
aisy,  and  haul  out  all  the  rist  of  thim.'* 

The  boys  now  tried  other  logs,  one  after  the 
other ;  but  from  all  of  them  they  met  with  the  very 
same  stubborn  resistance.  They  had  all  been 
placed  here  evidently  by  men  who  worked  con- 
scientiously, and    were   determined   to  leave   no 


BAFFLED  AND  BEATEN. 


183 


weak  spot  exposed  to  the  pressure  of  the  earth. 
And,  as  was  natural,  that  which  liad  withstood  so 
well  the  pressure  of  the  surrounding  soil,  was 
easily  able  to  withstand  tlio  puny  efforts  of  a 
couple  of  boys. 


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184 


THE   TREASURE   OF   THE  SEAS. 


XV. 

Pat  and  the  Pick.  —  A  dangerous  Plan.  —  Under- 
mining the  very  Foundation.  —  A  terrible  Risk.  — 
Something  like  an  Earthquake  —  A  Way  opened. 

—  They  make  an  Ascent.  —  A  sudden  Stop.  — 
The  projecting  Log.  —  The  Pickaxe.  —  WIio  shall 
go  down  ?  —  A  new  Descent.  —  TJie  Watch  of 
Bart.  —  Alarm.  —  A  Call.  —  Silence.  —  Terror. 

—  An  Ansiuer.  — Fearful  Intdligence.  —  The  very 
worst.  —  The  Drain.  —  2ViT  rising  Waters.  — 
Tlte  Pit  ^flooded.  —  The  impending  Doom. 


\ 


•••N  this  way  they  went  over  all  the  logs,  and  at 
2§J  length  reached  the  hiwest  layer  of  all.  At 
this  point,  Pat's  superior  dexterity  with  the 
pick  enabled  him  to  invent  and  to  put  in  practice 
a  plan  which  could  not  have  been  used  before,  or 
with  any  of  the  logs  except  these  lowest  ones. 
!b'or  beneath  these  was  the  earth,  and  Pat's  plan 
was  the  natural  and  simple  one  of  digging  this 
earth  away,  and  so  undermining  the  log  that  lay 
tliere.  Pat  worked  nimbly  and  thoroughly,  and  as 
he  loosened  the  soil,  Bart  scraped  it  away  with  his 
hands.     Pat  dug  down  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  all 


HARD   LABOR. 


185 


I 


along,  and  then  thrust  the  pick  far  in,  scooping 
out  the  earth  that  lay  on  the  other  side  of  the 
log.  In  this  way  they  succeeded  in  removing  the 
earth  that  kept  tlie  log  in  its  place,  and  at  length 
they  were  able  to  detach  it,  and  draw  it  forth. 

Tlie  removal  of  this  one  log  served  to  make  the 
removal  of  the  others  possible.  By  liHgent  efforts 
the  four  logs  which  composed  the  lower  tier  were 
detached.  The  side  logs  were  too  long  for  the 
pit,  and  therefore  had  to  be  placed  erect,  and 
leaned  against  the  side.  The  end  logs  could  lie 
down  easily.  The  second  tier  then  followed,  and 
was  removed  more  easily  than  the  first.  Then  the 
third  tier  was  detached,  and  the  fourth.  •  In  each 
case  the  logs  of  the  side  had  to  be  stood  erect, 
while  the  end  logs  were  laid  on  the  ground  at  the 
bottom. 

A  serious  difficulty  now  appeared  before  the 
boys,  and  one,  too,  ior  which  they  had  not  been  pre- 
pared. The  length  of  the  side  logs  was  a  very  em- 
barrassing circumstance.  Tiiey  were  too  long  to 
bo  placed  at  the  bottom,  and  had  to  be  stood  up. 
But  this  took  up  space,  and  infringed  very  seriously 
upon  the  narrow  area  in  which  their  operations 
were  carried  on.  Ir  passing  from  one  side  to  re- 
move the  logs  on  the  other,  they  had  to  lift  these 
backward  and  forward  so  as  to  get  them  out  of 
the  way  —  a  work  which  was  most  exhaustive,  and 
at  the  same  time  hindered  them  in  their  proper 
efforts.     Still  they  kept  on,  until  at  length  about 


I 


186 


THE  TREiSURE   OP  'i.iE  SEAS. 


eight  tiers  of  logs  had  been  removed,  and  the 
longer  ones  filled  up  so  much  space,  that  it  was 
quite  impossible  to  do  any  more.  They  still 
worked  away  at  those  which  were  within  reach, 
and  managed  to  remove  a  dozen  logs  more ;  but 
after  this  they  could  do  nothing,  for  the  bottom  of 
the  pit  was  completely  filled,  and  the  staying  was 
now  a  compact  mass  from  which  nothing  further 
could  be  detached  until  the  logs  were  removed 
which  were  covered  up  by  those  piled  against  it. 

Bart  and  Pat  were  now  compelled  to  desist  for 
a  time,  and  as  they  felt  quite  exhausted,  they 
raised  themselves  to  the  top  of  the  pile  of  upright 
logs,  and  there  sat  down.  Scarcely  had  they  done 
this,  when  they  were  aware  of  a  trembling  all 
around,  like  an  earthquake.  In  horror  they  sprang 
to  their  feet.  The  sides  seemed  to  be  moving ; 
the  logs  separated,  and  descended,  and  through 
the  crevices  there  protruded  sand  and  clay.  It  was 
as  though  the  whole  mass  of  the  casing  was  falling 
in.  In  an  instant  they  knew  what  it  was.  In  their 
thoughtlessness  they  had  taken  away  the  founda- 
tions of  this  structure,  and  it  was  all  falling  in. 
An  involuntary  cry  of,  terror  burst  from  both. 
They  shrank  together,  clinging  to  the  pile  on 
which  they  stood,  and  awaited  their  last  hour. 

But  once  again  there  was  a  respite.  The  move- 
ment ceased.  The  worst  seemed  to  be  over,  at 
least  for  the  present.  Yet  the  result  of  this  one 
movement  was  fearful  as  far  as  it  went.    All  the 


A  TERRIBLE   RISK. 


187 


logs  of  the  casing  seemed  severed  and  distorted, 
and  had  apparently  descended  as  far  as  they  had 
dug  away  the  foundations.  Seeing  this,  anotiier 
frigiitfnl  thought  came  —  the  broken  beam  above. 
They  looked  up  fearfully.  As  yet,  however,  tlio 
danger  impending  hesitated  to  strike,  for  there, 
across  the  mouth  of  the  hole,  they  saw  the  broken 
beam  defined  against  the  sky.  It  did  not  appear 
to  have  moved ;  nor  was  there  that  appearance  of 
irregularity  about  the  upper  casing  of  the  pit 
which  now  marked  the  lower.  It  seemed  to  them 
as  though  the  slighter  staying  of  plank  had  been 
put  in  the  upper  part  of  the  pit,  because  it  was 
clay,  and  needed  but  little  protection ;  but  down 
below,  where  the  soil  was  looser,  stout  logs  had 
been  required.  As  they  looked  up,  they  saw  that 
all  this  lower  casing  of  logs  had  fallen. 

No  sooner  had  they  discovered  this  than  they 
saw  also  something  which  inspired  them  with 
hope.  Not  only  had  the  lower  staying  of  logs  thus 
descended,  but  it  had  also  lost  its  cohesion,  and  the 
logs  all  seemed  to  be  separated  by  spaces  of  more 
or  less  width,  while  many  of  them  protruded  into 
the  pit  as  though  thrust  in  by  the  pressure  of  the 
earth.  Now  they  recognized  at  a  glance  the  tre- 
mendous risk  that  they  had  run  while  removing 
the  lowest  logs ;  but  at  the  same  glance  they  per- 
ceived that  the  immediate  danger  had  passed,  and 
that  they  were  now  at  least  less  helpless  than  bo- 
fore.     For  now,  at  last,  there  need  bo  no  diffigulty 


188 


THE  TREAWRE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


about  climbing.  Now  the  spaces  between  the 
logs  were  wide  enough  for  them  to  find  something 
wliicii  tliey  might  grasp  with  their  hands,  and  for 
some  distance  up,  at  any  rate,  they  could  see  what 
seemed  like  a  ladder,  up  which  they  might  climb 
in  search  of  escape  from  this  fearful  place. 

No  sooner  had  they  made  this  discovery  than 
they  at  once  caught  at  this  prospect  which  thus 
had  so  unexpectedly  opened  belbre  them,  and  be- 
gan to  climb.  The  task  was  not  very  difficult. 
Each  one  took  a  corner  of  the  pit  where  the  meeting 
of  the  two  walls  favored  the  ascent,  and  for  some 
time  they  continued  to  mount  without  much  diffi- 
culty. 

"  Sure  but  I'm  afraid  this  is  too  good  to  last," 
said  Pat. 

Bart  made  no  reply.  That  very  fear  was  in  his 
own  mind.  In  that  suspense  he  could  say  nothing. 
At  last  they  had  mounted  as  high  as  the  place 
where  the  rope  had  broken.  The  end  hung  here 
suspended  most  tantalizingly.  O,  what  joy  it  would 
have  been  for  them  had  it  been  the  rope  alone 
which  had  thus  broken,  —  if  the  beam  had  only 
continued  sound ,  but  now  that  rope  was  useless, 
and  they  dared  not  touch  it  for  fear  lest  even 
a  touch  might  bring  down  upon  their  heads  the 
beam  that  hung  there  impending  over  them.  For- 
tunately they  were  able  to  ascend  yet  higher,  for 
etill  above  them  the  log  casing  had  been  started 
asunder,  and  still  they  found  themselves  able  to 


A  SUDDEN  STOP. 


189 


grasp  places  of  support.  The  staying  had  cer- 
tainly undergone  a  universal  disintegration,  and 
nothing  but  its  great  compactness  had  prevent- 
ed it  from  failing  in  ruin  over  their  heads,  and 
burying  them  alive.  It  was  with  amazement  and 
consternation  that  they  recognized  their  work, 
and  these  feelings  would  have  overwhelmed  them 
had  they  not  found  the  result,  after  all,  so  fortunate 
for  themselves.  The  risk  had  passed  away.  For 
the  present,  at  least,  they  were  receiving  the 
benefit. 

The  fear  which  Pat  had  expressed,  and  which 
Bart  had  felt  without  expressing,  that  the  ascent 
was  too  good  a  thing  to  last,  was  at  length  proved 
to  be  only  too  well  founded.  After  they  had 
climbed  some  distance  farther,  thev  found  their 
ascent  brought  to  an  abrupt  termination.  For 
here  there  was  a  kind  of  separation  between  the 
lower  casing  and  the  upper  ;  a  log  bulged  forwnrd 
about  a  foot,  and  above  this  there  was  a  gap  in  the 
casing  about  two  feet  in  height  which  showed  the 
earth  behind,  a  kind  of  clay,  and  in  this  there  was 
a  cavity  caused  by  the  falling  of  the  casing. 
Above  this  the  casing  had  held  firm,  but  unfortu- 
nately they  had  not  reached  the  planks.  They 
were  the  same  round  logs  which  rose  above  them, 
and  which  would  be  as  diflficult  to  scale  from  this 
point  as  they  had  proved  from  below. 

Upon  this  ledge,  formed  by  the  bulging  logs, 
they  clambered,  and  seated  themselves,  dejected 


190 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


at  the  termination  of  their  ascent,  yet  rcliovcd 
slightly  by  the  chance  which  was  now  afTorded  of 
some  rest  and  breathing  space.  Here  they  sat, 
and  looked  up. 

"  Sure  an  it's  hard,  so  it  is,"  said  Pat,  "  to  find 
an  ind  to  it  just  here,  whin,  if  we'd  only  been  able 
to  climb  twinty  or  thirty  feet  further,  we'd  have 
got  to  the  planks,  an  been  all  safe." 

"  Yes,"  said  Bart,  looking  up,  "  there  are  the 
planks  ;  and  they're  not  more  than  thirty  feet  above 
us  at  the  farthest." 

"  An  yit  they're  as  much  out  of  our  raich  as 
though  they  were  a  hundred,  so  they  are." 

"I'd  rather  have  the  thirty  feet,  at  any.  rate," 
said  Bart.  "  Come  now  ;  can't  we  manage  to  get 
farther  up." 

"  Nivir  a  farther,"  said  Pat.  "  We've  got  to  the 
ind  of  our  journey." 

"Come  now."  said  Bart.  "  See  here,  Pat.  You 
spoke  of  a  tunnel  once.  In  fact  we  came  down 
here  with  the  pickaxe  on  purpose  to  make  a  tunnel 
to  the  money-hole.  Well,  we're  after  something 
more  precious  than  money  —  life  itself  Can't  we 
tunnel  up  to  life?  " 

"  Tunnel,  is  it?"  cried  Pat,  in  great  excitement. 
"  Of  coorse  we  can.  Ye've  jist  hit  it,  so  you  have. 
It's  what  we'll  do.     We  will  thin." 

"  The  soil  here  seems  like  clay ;  and  if  we  cut 
lip  behind  this  casing,  it'll  be  comparatively  safe," 
said  Bart.     "  We  need  only  cut  up  to  the  plunks." 


THE   PICKAXE. 


101 


"  Sure  an  we'll  have  to  cut  up  to  the  top." 

"  0,  no  !  When  we  get  to  the  planks,  we  can  break 
through,  and  climb  them  like  a  ladder  to  the  top 
Once  up  to  the  planks,  and  we're  safe." 

*'  Break  through  the  plankin  is  it?  Sure  enougl ," 
right  are  you  ;  that's  what  we'll  do,  so  it  is." 
'  "And  so  that  makes  only  thirty  feet  to  cutaway- 
It'll  be  hard  work  cutting  upwards;  buf,  you  and 
I  ought  to  manage  it,  Pat,  when  our  lives  are  at 
stake." 

"Manage  it?  Of  coorse;  why  not?  Only  we 
haven't  got  that  bit  of  a  pick  with  us,  so  wo 
haven't,  for  we  left  li  down  below ;  an*  sorra  one 
of  me  knows  what's  become  of  it.  It  may  be 
buried  under  the  roons  of  the  fallin  logs." 

At  this  Bart  looked  at  Pat  with  something  like 
consternation. 

"  Well,"  said  he  at  length,  "  we'll  have  to  go 
down  again  —  one  of  us ;  we  must  have  that  pick- 
axe.    I'll  go." 

"  Sure  an  you  won't,"  said  Pa' ;  "  meself's  the 
one  that's  goin  to  go." 

"  No,  you  shan't.     Poh  !     Don't  be  absurd." 

"  Sure  Pm  bound  to  go ;  and  so  don't  you  go  too. 
There's  not  the  laste  nicissity  in  life  for  both  of  us 
to  go." 

"  0,  well,  tiien,"  said  Bart,  "  we'll  have  to  toss  up 
for  it.     That's  all." 

And  saying  this,  he  took  out  a  piece  of  money, 
and  said  to  Pat, — 


192 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"Head  or  Tail?" 

«  Tail,"  said  Pat. 

Bart  tossod.  Pat  lost.  It  was  Pat's  business 
therefore  to  go  down. 

• "  Sure   an  it's  aisy  climbin,"  said  Pat,  "  an  the 
pick'll  be  a  help  whin  I  returrun." 

With  these  words  he  departed. 

Seated  on  the  log,  Bart  looked  down,  watching 
Pat's  descent.  They  had  climbed  about  half  way 
up  the  pit,  and  Pat  had  about  fifty  feet  to  go  down. 
Looking  down,  it  was  dark,  find  Pat  at  length  disap- 
peared from  view.  Bart  could  only  hear  him  as  he 
moved  about.    At  length  there  was  a  deep  stillness. 

Bf"^  "-rew  alarmed.  . 


it- 


,) 


he  called. 


No  answer  came. 

'*  Pat !"  he  called  again. 

Still  no  answer. 

"  Pat ! "  he  called,  as  loud  as  he  could,  for  he 
was  now  thoroughly  frightened.  As  he  called,  he 
put  his  feet  over,  and  prepared  to  descend. 

"  Pm  here,"  Pat's  voice  came  up.  "  Don't  come 
down.     Pm  coming  up." 

These  words  filled  Bart  with  a  feeling  of  im- 
mense relief.  He  now  heard  Pat  moving  again, 
and  at  length  saw  him  ascending.  Nearer  he 
came,  and  nearer.  But  Bart  noticed  that  he  did 
not  have  the  pickaxe.  .Ho  feared  by  this  that  it 
had  been  buried  beneath  the  fallen  logs.  If  so, 
their  situation  was  as  desperate  as  ever.  But  he 
said  not  a  word. 


ALARM. 


193 


P'^t  at  length  readied  the  place  where  Bart  was, 
and  flung  himself  down,  panting  heavily.  Bart 
watched  him  in  silence. 

"  The  pickaxe  is  buried,"  said  he  at  length,  "  I 

8U[)p08e." 

"  Worse,"  said  Pat,  with  something  like  a  groan. 

"  Worse  ?  "  repeated  Bart  in  dismay. 

"  Yis,  worse,"  said  Pat.  "  The  water's  comin  in. 
There's  six  feet  of  it,  an  more  too.  The  hole's 
flooded,  an  fillin  up." 

At  this  awful  intelligence  Bart  sat  petrified 
with  horror,  and  said  not  one  word. 

"  It's  the  diggin  away  at  the  casin,"  said  Pat, 
dolefully,  "  an  the  cuttin  away  of  the  eartli,  that's 
done  the  business,  so  it  is.  I  can  onderstand 
it  all  easy  enough.  Sure  this  pit's  close  by  the 
money-hole,  an  the  bottom  of  it's  close  by  the 
drain  that  they  towld  us  of.  An  them  that  made 
this  hole  didn't  dare  to  go  one  inch  further.  An 
that's  the  very  thing,  so  it  is,  that  we've  done. 
We've  cut,  and  dug,  and  broke  through  into  the 
drain.  What's  worse,  all  the  casin  an  all  the  earth's 
broke  and  fallen  down.  An  there's  no  knowin  the 
mischief  we've  done.  Any  how,  we've  broke 
through  to  the  "  drain  "  —  bad  luck  to  it ;  and  the 
water's  jist  now  a  powerin  in  fast  enough.  Sure 
it's  got  to  the  top  of  them  logs  that  we  stood  upon 
end  —  the  long  ones  ;  and  they're  more'n  six  feet 
long,  an  it's  risin  ivery  minit,  so  it  is,  an  it's  comin 
up,  an  it'll  soon  be  up  to  this  place,  so  it  will.  An 
13 


194 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


Buro  it's  lost  an  dono  for  wo  aro  intirely,  an  there 
you  liavo  it." 

After  this  dreadful  intelligence,  not  a  vord  was 
spoken  for  a  long  time.  Put  had  said  his  say,  and 
had  nothing  to  add  to  it.  Bart  had  heard  it,  and  had 
nothing  to  say.  He  was  dumb.  They  were  help- 
less. They  could  go  no  farther.  Hero  they  were 
on  this  log,  half  way  up  the  pit,  but  unable  to  as- 
cend any  further,  and  with  the  prospect  before 
thera  of  swift  and  in^   itable  destruction. 

They  had  worked  ion,^  and  diligently.  Not  one 
mouthful  iiad  they  eaten  since  morning;  but  in 
their  deep  anxiety,  they  had  felt  no  hunger.  They 
had  labored  as  those  only  can  labor  who  aro  strug- 
gling for  life.  And  this  was  the  end.  But  all  this 
time  they  had  not  been  conscious  of  the  passage  of 
the  hours ;  yet  those  hours  had  been  flying  by  none 
the  less.  Time  had  been  passing  during  their  long 
labor  at  the  logs  below  —  how  much  time  they  had 
never  suspected. 

The  first  indication  which  they  had  of  this 
lapse  of  time  was  the  discovery  which  they  now 
made  of  a  gradually  increasing  gloom.  At  first 
they  attributed  this  to  the  gathering  of  clouds 
over  the  sky  above ;  but  after  a  time  the  gloom  in- 
creased to  an  extent  which  made  itself  apparent 
even  to  their  despairing  minds.  And  what  was  it? 
Could  it  be  twilight?  Could  it  be  evening?  Was 
it  possible  that  the  day  had  passed  away  ?  Long 
indeed  had  the  time  seemed ;  yet,  even  in  spite  of 


I 


THE   IMPENDING   DOOM. 


195 


this,  they  felt  an  additional  shock  at  this  discovery. 
Yet  it  was  true.  It  was  evening.  The  day  was 
done.  Tliey  two  had  passed  the  day  in  this  pit. 
This  was  night  that  was  now  coming  swiftly  on. 

They  remained  motionless  and  silent.  Nothing 
could  bo  done;  and  the  thoughts  of  each  were  too 
deep  for  utterance.  Words  were  n  .'less  now.  In 
the  mind  of  each  there  was  an  a\'ful  expectation  of 
a  doom  that  was  coming  upon  them  —  inevitable, 
swift,  terrible  !  They  could  only  await  it  in  dumb 
despair. 

Night  was  coming,  adding  by  its  darkness  to  the 
horror  of  their  situation.  Death  in  daylight  is  bad 
enough,  but  in  the  dark  how  much  worse  !  And 
the  fate  that  threatened  them  appeared  wherever 
they  might  turn  their  eyes  —  above,  in  the  shape 
of  that  broken  beam  which  yet  in  the  twilight  ap- 
peared defined  in  a  shadowy  form  against  the  dim 
sky ;  around,  in  this  treacherous  casing,  which, 
being  undermined,  might  at  any  moment  fall,  like 
the  lower  portion,  and  crush  th'  in  ;  beneatli,  most 
awfully,  and  most  surely,  are  those  dark,  stenltiiy, 
secret  waters  which  had  come  in  from  the  "  drain  " 
upon  them  as  though  to  punish  their  rashness,  and 
make  them  pay  for  it  with  their  lives.  In  the  midst 
of  all  these  fears  they  remembered  the  supersti- 
•  tious  words  of  the  man  whom  they  had  questioned, 
•  "  Flesh  and  blood  will  never  lay  hands  on  that 
treasure,  unless  there's  a  sacrifice  made  —  the 
sacrifice  of  human  life  !  "  Such  was  the  declaration 


196 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


of  the  man  on  the  shore,  and  this  declaration  now 
made  itself  remembered.  The  sacrifice  of  life. 
What  life  ?  Was  it  theirs  ?  Were  they,  then,  the 
destined  victims  ?  Awful  thought  1  Yet  how  else 
could  it  be  ?  Yes,  that  declaration  was  a  prophecy, 
and  that  prophecy  was  being  fulfilled  in  them.  But 
0,  how  hard  it  was  to  die  thus  1  so  young  1  in 
such  a  way !  to  die  when  no  friends  were  near  I 
and  where  their  fato  would  never,  never  be  known 
to  those  friends. 


THE  MISSING  BOTS. 


197 


XVI. 

Waking  from  a  sound  Sleep.  —  The  Missing  Ones. 
—  An  earnest  Debate.  —  Various  TJieories.  — 
Fishing  versus  Sailing.  —  Afloat  or  Ashore.  — 
Emotion  of  the  venerable  Corbet.  —  His  solemn 
Declaration.  —  The  Antelope  or  the  Whaler.  — 
tStick  to  the  Antelope.  —  A  new  Arrival.  —  Tlie 
Landlord's  View  of  the  Case.  —  New  Doubts  and 
Perplexities.  — ^^ Afloat  or  Ashore"  again.  —  Tlie 
Landlord's  View  of  the  Sailing  Theory,  and  his 
Decision  in  Favor  of  the  Fishing  Hypothesis.  — 
TJie  Lost  Ones  must  be  camping  out  for  the 
Night, 


^HE  boys  at  the  inn  slept  soundly,  and  did  not 
wake  until  after  their  usual  time.  On  going 
down  to  breakfast,  they  looked  about  for 
Bart  and  Pat.  At  first  tht^  thought  that  their 
two  friends  had  already  taken  their  breakfast,  and 
gone  out ;  but  an  incidental  remark  of  the  land- 
lady made  known  to  them  the  fact  that  they  had 
not  been  back  to  the  inn  at  all.  This  intelligence 
they  received  with  serious  faces,  and  looks  of  sur- 
prise and  uneasiness. 


198 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


"  I  wonder  what  can  be  the  meaning  of  it,"  said 
Bruce. 

"  It'8  queer,"  said  Arthur. 

"  They  were  very  mysterious  about  going,  in  the 
first  place,"  said  Tom.  **  I  don't  see  what  sense 
there  was  in  making  such  a  secret  about  it.  They 
must  have  gone  some  distance." 

"  Perhaps  they  didn't  think  we'd  be  back  so 
soon,"  said  Phil,  **  and  have  planned  their  own 
affair,  whatever  it  is,  to  last  as  long  as  ours." 

"  0,  they  must  have  known,"  said  Bruce,  "  that 
we'd  be  back  to-day.  Aspotogon  is  only  a  few 
miles.  In  fact  we  ought  to  have  been  back  yester- 
day, in  time  for  tea,  by  rights." 

"  Where  in  the  world  could  they  have  gone 
to?"  said  Arthur. 

"  0,  fishing,  of  course,"  said  Tom. 

"  But  they  ought  to  have  been  back  last  night." 

"  0,  they've  found  some  first- rate  sport." 

"  After  all,"  said  Phil,  "  there  wasn't  any  actual 
reason  for  them  to  come  back.  None  of  us  are  in 
any  hurry." 

"  Yes ;  but  they  may  have  got  into  some  scrape," 
said  Bruce.  "  Such  a  thing  is  not  inconceivable. 
It  stri.»3s  me  that  several  members  of  this  party 
have  already  got  into  scrapes  now  and  then ;  and 
BO  I'm  rather-  inclined  to  think  that  the  turn  has 
come  round  to  Bart  and  Pat." 

*'  What  I'm  inclined  to  think,"  said  Arthur,  "is, 
that  they've  gone  off  in  a  boat  lor  a  sail  before 
breakfast,  and  have  come  to  grief  somehow." 


AN   EARNEST   DEBATE. 


199 


*'  Well,  if  they  tried  a  sail-boat,  they  were  pretty 
sure  of  that,"  said  Tom. 

"  Yes,"  said  Phil ;  "  neither  Bart  nor  Pat  know 
anything  more  about  sailing  a  boat  than  a  cow 
does." 

"At  any  rate,"  said  Bruce,  "they  can't  have 
fallen  into  any  very  serious  danger." 

"Why  not?" 

"  There  hasn't  been  any  wind  worth  speaking  of." 

"  Neither  there  has." 

*'  But  there  was  some  wind  yesterday  morning," 
said  Arthur.  "  It  carried  us  to  Aspotogon  very 
well." 

"  Pooh !  Such  a  wind  as  that  wouldn't  do  any- 
thing.    A  child  might  have  sailed  a  boat." 

"  0,  I  don't  know.  That  wind  might  have 
caught  them  off  some  island,  and  capsized  them." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  wind  could  have  capsized 
even  a  paper  boat,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  still  Pm  in- 
clined to  think,  after  all,  that  they've  met  with 
some  sort  of  an  accident  in  a  boat." 

"  I  don't  believe  it,"  said  Tom.  "  They  couldn't 
meet  with  any  kind  of  accident.  My  opinion  is, 
that  they  went  off  fishing,  kept  at  it  all  day,  got 
too  far  away  to  think  of  coming  back  last  night,  and 
80  very  naturally  put  up  at  some  farm-house,  where 
they  liave  by  this  time  eaten  a  good,  rattling  break- 
fast, and  are  on  their  way  back,  walking  like  the 
very  mischief." 

*'  The  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  too/'  said 


200 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


Bruce.  "  I  quite  agree  with  Tom.  It's  just  what 
any  other  two  of  us  fellows  would  have  done.  In 
the  first  place,  they  backed  out  of  the  Aspotogon 
expedition  very  quietly,  so  as  not  to  make  a  fusa, 
then  they  went  off*,  and,  as  Tom  says,  got  too  far  to 
come  back;  though  whether  they've  had  such  a 
tremendous  adventure  as  ours  at  Deep  Cove  with 
the  shark  is  a  matter  that  has  yet  to  be  decided." 

This  first  allusion  to  the  shark  was  received  by 
all  the  party  with  a  solemn  smile. 

"  Well,"  said  Arthur,  "  I  believe  they've  taken  to 
a  boat.     Perhaps  they've  gone  cruising  about." 

"  But  they  couldn't  have  been  capsized." 

"No." 

"  Then  how  do  you  account  for  their  absence  ?  " 

"  Easily  enough,"  said  Phil.  "  I  believe  they've 
gone  visiting  some  of  the  islands,  and  somehow 
they've  lost  their  sail,  or  their  oars,  or  else  they've 
been  careless  about  fastening  the  boat,  and  she's 
drifted  away.  And  so  I  dare  say  that  at  this  very 
moment  they  are  on  some  desert  island  in  this  bay, 
within  a  mile  or  so  of  this  town,  looking  out  for 
help ;  but  if  they  are,  they  must  be  pretty  hungry 
by  thi^  time,  for  it  isn't  every  island  that  can  furnish 
such  a  bill  of  fare  as  He  Haute  gave  to  Tom." 

"  A  perfectly  natural  explanation,"  said  Arthur. 
"  Those  two  fellows  are  both  so  abominably  care- 
less, that,  if  they  did  go  ashore  on  any  it^land,  they'd 
be  almost  certain  to  leave  the  boat  loose  on  the 
beach,  to  float  away  wherever  it  liked.    I  believej 


CONJECTURES. 


201 


as  Phil  says,  that  they're  on  some  island  not  far 


» 


away 

"  I  don't,"  said  Bruce.  "  I  believe  that  they 
went  fishing." 

"Well,  what  are  we  to  do  about  it?  Oughtn't 
we  to  hunt  then)  up  ?  "  said  Phil. 

"  I  don't  see  the  use,"  said  Tom.  "  They'll  be 
along  by  dinner  time." 

"  Well,  for  my  part,"  said  Arthur,  "  I  can't  sit 
here  and  leave  them  to  their  fate.  I  believe  they 
are  in  a  fix,  and  consequently  I  intend  to  go  off  to 
hunt  them  up." 

"So  will  1,"  said  Phil. 

"  Well,  of  course,  if  you  go,  Pll  go  too,"  said 
Bruce. 

"  So  will  I,"  said  Tom ;  "  though  I  don't  buiieve 
there's  the  slightest  necessity.  Bart  and  Pat'll 
turn  up  somewhere  about  noon,  and  find  us  gone. 
They'll  then  go  off  in  search  of  us.  Well,  it'll 
amount  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end,  and  so,  per- 
haps, it's  the  best  way  there  can  be  of  filling  up 
the  time." 

"  I  wonder  if  the  Antelope's  got  back,"  said 
Bruce. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Suppose  we  go  down  and  talk  it  over  with 
Captain  Corbet." 

"  All  right." 

With  these  words  the  boys  rose  from  the  break- 
fast table,  and  went  down  to  the  wharf.     As  they 


202 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


approached  tliey  saw  the  Antelope  lying  there  at 
her  former  berth ;  for  she  had  arrived  about  an 
hour  before,  and  had  come  here. 

"  Wal,  boys,"  said  ho,  as  he  saw  them,  "hero  wo 
air  once  more,  jined  together  as  before ;  though 
wliether  you  did  well  jn  a  desertin  of  the  ship  in 
mM-ocean  ia  a  pint  that  I  don't  intend  to  decide. 
You  might  as  well  have  turned  into  your  old  quar- 
ters aboard,  an  slop  calm  an  comfortable,  instead 
of  rowin  six  or  eight  mile  by  night.  However, 
you  don't  none  o'  you  look  any  the  wuss  for  it,  an 
so  we'll  let  bygones  be  bygones.  Ony  I'm  pleased, 
likewise  relieved,  to  see  you  here,  instead  of  havin 
to  lam  that  you're  among  the  missin,  an  probably 
roamin  the  seas  in  a  open  boat.  An  where,  may  I 
ask,  air  Bart  and  Pat?" 

The  ansv/er  to  this  question  plunged  the  good 
Corbet  from  the  comfort  in  which  he  had  settled 
himself,  down  into  tlie  depths  of  anxiety  and  wor- 
riment. 

"  What!  Not  back  yit?"  he  said.  «  You  don't 
say  so.     Is  this  railly  so  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  What  I  all  yesterday,  an  all  last  night  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  An  no  word  of  partin  —  and  no  directions  as  to 
whore  tliey  went,  an  when  they'd  return  ?  " 

"  Not  a  word." 

"  An  nobody  seen  them  go  ?  " 

"  No." 


EMOTION   OP  THE   VENERABLE   CORBET. 


203 


"  An  nobody's  seen  anytliin  of  tliera  at  all  ?  " 

"  No,  notliing." 

"  An  you  don't  even  know  whether  they're  ii* 
danger  or  safety  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Nor  even  whether  tlicy'ro  on  land  or  wa- 
ter?" 

"  No." 

Captain  Corbet  shook  his  head  slowly  and  sadly, 
and  turned  away  with  the  profoundest  dejection 
and  melancholy  depicted  upon  his  venerable  yet 
expressive  features. 

"Tom  and  I  think  they've  gone  off  fi?hing,'* 
continued  Bruce,  who  had  told  the  tale  of  woe  ; 
"but  Arthur  and  Phil  are  afraid  that  they've 
gone  off  in  a  boat,  and  have  met  with  some  acci- 
dent. They're  determined  to  go  off  to  hunt  them 
up,  and  we've  concluded  to  go  too,  as  we  don't 
care  about  staying  behind  doing  nothing ;  though, 
at  the  same  time,  we  don't  believe  they've  come 
to  any  harm,  and  we  think  they'll  ■  be  coming 
after  us.  We  thought  we'd  let  you  know ;  and 
perhaps  we'd  better  put  off  in  the  Antelope, 
unless  you  think  a  small  boat  would  be  better." 

"  0,  yea,"  said  Arthur,  "  let's  go  in  a  small 
boat.  The  Antelope  won't  do.  There'll  be  anoth- 
er calm,  and  we'll  have  to  stand  still  and  do  noth- 
ing." 

"  We  could  get  one  of  these  whalers,"  said  Phil, 
pointing  to  a  number  of  boats  at  the  wharf. 


1  I 


MP 


204 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


These  boats  were  sharp  at  each  end,  and  were 
therefore  called  "  whalers  ''  on  account  of  their 
shape,  and  not  because  they  were  ever  used,  or 
over  intended  to  be  used,  against  whales.  They 
were  large  and  capacious,  and  well  ballasted ; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  they  were  not  too  large 
to  bo  rowed,  in  case  of  calms  or  head  winds. 

"  O,  botherthe  whalers,"  said  Tom;  "  let's  stick 
to  the  Antelope,  whatever  we  do.  Whenever  we 
leave  the  Antelope,  we're  sure  to  come  to  grief. 
Besides,  I  don't  like  to  have  to  stuff  myself  into  a 
little  open  boat.  I  like  to  move  about,  and  walk 
up  and  down,  and  change  my  position." 

"  So  do  I,  for  that  matter,"  said  Phil ;  "  but  then, 
you  know,  we  may  be  caught  in  a  calm,  as  we 
were  last  night." 

"  0,  there's  lots  of  wind  now." 

<' But  it  mightn't  last." 

"  Then,  if  it  don't,  we  can  take  to  the  boat." 

"  What,  our  little  row-boat  ?  " 

"Yes;  why  not?" 

"  Why,  we  can't  go  any  distance  in  her ;  she's 
too  small." 

"  0,  let's  get  a  whaler,"  said  Arthur,  "  and  then 
we'll  be  ready  for  wind  or  calm." 

"  Well,"  said  Bruce,  **  if  I  thought  that  Bart  and 
Pat  were  really  out  anywhere  in  the  bay,  I'd  say, 
take  a  whaler ;  but  as  I  consider  this  expedition  a 
wild-goose  chase,  I  go  in  for  comfort,  and  vote  for 
the  Antelope." 


STICK  TO  THE   ANTELOPE. 


205 


"  Well,  wo  won't  do  anything  ;  that's  all ;  and  if 
tliey  are  in  danger,  we'll  bo  sorry  for  it." 

"  O,  I'll  run  the  risk." 

"  We're  a  tie,"  said  Phil.  "  Let's  give  Captain 
Corbet  the  easting  vote.  Come,  captain,  what  do 
you  say  about  it  ?  Do  you  think  tiioy're  on  land 
or  water  ?  and  do  you  advise  a  whaler  or  the  An- 
telope ?  " 

"  Me  ?  "  said  Captain  Corbet,  mournfully.  "  Me  ? 
Wal,  for  my  part,  I've  come  to  believe  the  wust. 
I  believe  them  two  air  at  this  moment  on  some 
lone  rock  of  the  deep,  gazin  in  despair  upon  the 
waste  of  water,  and  lookin  wildly  in  all  directions 
for  help.  And  so  it  ever  hath  been,  and  ever  shall 
be.  Amen.  For  my  part,  I'm  free  to  say,  that  I 
never  see,  nor  never  hear  tell  of,  nor  never  even 
dreamt  of  the  likes  of  you.  If  you  get  out  of  my 
sight  for  one  moment,  you're  sure  to  be  engaged 
in  reskin  your  lives  about  nothin.  An  I'll  give 
up.  If  Providence  restores  them  two,  1  hereby 
declar  solemn,  that  it's  my  fixed  intention  to  start 
right  straight  off  for  hum;  never  to  stop  at  one 
single  place,  nor  even  to  go  near  any  land,  till  I 
touch  the  wharf  at  Grand  Fr6.  What  this  here's 
goin  to  end  in  beats  me ;  and  this  last  business 
does  beat  my  grandmother.  As  for  you,  I  advise 
you  to  stick  to  the  Antelope,  and  sail  under  the 
old  flag.     Them's  my  sentiments." 

This,  advice  of  Captain  Corbet  was  accepted  as 
his  decision,  and  so  it  was  resolved  to  set  off  in 


206 


THE  TUEASURE   OP  THE  8EA8. 


lit 


the  Antolopo,  and  cruiae  round  the  bay.  Sucli  a 
search  was,  of  course,  not  very  promising ;  but 
Arthur  and  Pliil  had  a  vague  idea  that  in  the 
course  of  the  cruise  they  would  see  the  two  misg- 
ing  ones  making  signals  of  distress  from  some 
lonely  island,  and  that  thus  they  might  be  rescued. 
As  for  Captain  Corbet,  he  still  remained  melan- 
choly, though  not  at  all  despairing  ;  for  though  he 
insisted  that  the  boys  were  in  some  danger,  he  yet 
believed  that  they  would  be  rescued  from  it. 

In  the  midst  of  this  conversation,  they  were  in- 
terrupted by  the  appearance  of  the  landlord.  He 
had  just  returned  from  that  journey  up  the  coun- 
try, which  had  prevented  him  from  accompanying 
them  to  Aspotogon  on  the  previous  day.  He  had 
learned  at  the  inn  the  state  of  affairs,  and  had  at 
once  come  down  to  the  wharf.  The  boys,  on  the 
other  hand,  knowing  that  he  had  been  up  the 
country,  thought  it  possible  that  he  might  have 
seen  or  heard  something  of  their  missing  friends ; 
and  therefore,  no  sooner  had  he  made  his  appear- 
ance, than  they  all  hurried  to  meet  him,  and 
poured  upon  him  a  whole  torrent  of  questions. 

The  landlord's  answer  was  a  complete  defeat  of 
all  their  hopes.  He  had  eeen  nothing  of  Bart  and 
Pat,  and  had  heard  mching  of  them.  He  had 
known  nothing  of  their  departure,  and  nothing  of 
their  absence,  until  a  few  moments  before,  on  his 
arrival  home.  He  himself  had  to  question  them 
to  find  out  the  facts  of  the  case. 


!l   i 


THE  landlord's  VIEW  OP  THE  CASE.         207 


Of  the  facts  of  the  case,  however,  they  thorn- 
selves  were,  iinfortuniitely,  quite  ignorant.  Tiioy 
had  nothing  to  coinmunicato  but  fancies,  conjec- 
tures, and  speculations,  more  or  loss  plausible, 
such  as  they  had  just  been  discussing.  To  these 
the  landlord  listened  with  the  profbundest  atten- 
tion and  the  deepest  gravity,  and  then  considered 
them  all  in  succession. 

"  1  can't  say,"  said  he,  at  length,  "  tliat  I  see  any 
danger  for  them  in  any  way.  Praps  they've  gone 
in  a  boat,  an  praps  they've  gone  fishing.  If 
they've  gone  in  a  boat,  why,  there  hasn't  been  wind 
enough  to  capsize  a  walnut-sholl.  An  as  to  getting 
on  an  ishind,  I  don't  see  how  their  boat  could  drift 
away,  unless  they  made  it  go,  and  actually  slioved 
it  off  on  purpose.  You  must  remember  tliat  this 
bay  ain't  like  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  There  ain't  any 
tides  or  currents  here  worth  mentioning.  The 
tide  only  rises  and  falls  six  or  seven  feet,  and  the 
currents  are  so  trifling  that  they  ain't  worth  con- 
sidering. If  these  boys  have  got  on  an  island  and 
been  left  there,  it's  a  puzzle  to  me  how  on  earth 
they  managed  it.  Then,  again,  there  are  boats  and 
schooners  passing  backward  and  forward  almost 
all  the  time,  and  if  they  had  got  ashore  anywhere, 
they'd  have  been  got  off  by  this  time.  So  it's  my 
opinion  that  they  haven't  gone  off  in  a  boat,  but 
that  they've  gone  fisiiing.  If  they've  gone  fish- 
ing, it's  the  most  likely  thing  in  the  world  for  them 
lo  go  off  a  good  bit,  and  not  be  able  to  get  back 


m 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEA3. 


the  same  day.  The  only  trouble  about  this  is, — 
that  they  wouldn't  be  likely  to  go  away  on  foot; 
and  if  they  got  a  wagon,  they'd  be  most  likely  to 
take  it  from  the  hotel ;  but  that's  just  what  they 
haven't  done.  So  there's  a  fresh  puzzle  on  top  of 
the  others." 

"  0,  I  think  they'd  be  just  as  likely  to  walk  as 
not." 

"  Well,  then,  there's  another  puzzle.  Where 
could  they  go  ?  They  never  made  any  inquiries. 
Wo  had  a  long  talk  the  night  before  last,  but  not 
a  word  was  said  about  jBsliing.  If  they'd  been  in- 
tending to  go  fishing,  they'd  have  asked ;  wouldn't 
they  ?  Of  course  they  would.  That  stands  to 
reason." 

"  0,  I  dare  say  they  got  up  early,  and  a  sudden 
notion  took  them,  and  they  started  oflf  without  hav- 
ing any  particular  place  in  view." 

"  Well,  that's  not  unlikely,"  said  the  landlord ; 
"  and  if  they  did,  why,  all  I've  got  to  say  is,  they'd 
have  a  precious  long  walk  of  it,  for  there  isn't 
any  really  decent  fishing  within  less  than  nine  or 
ten  miles  ;  and  so,  if  they  walked  that,  and  then 
went  up  sti*eara,  why,  b}*^  the  time  they'd  finished, 
they'd  have  walked  ten  miles  more ;  and  so,  all  to- 
gether, they'd  make  a  precious  good  day's  work 
of  it,  —  work  enc  cgh,  in  fact,  to  make  them  rather 
indifferent  about  hurrying  hack  here  —  especially 
when  they'd  have  to  do  it  on  foot." 

"  I  suppose  they'd  find  houses  to  stop  at." 


THE  T.OST  0NE3  MUST  BE  CAMPING   OUT.  209 

"0,  yes,  there  are  houses  enough;  but  it  de- 
pends on  what  direction  they  went.  In  some 
places,  they'd  have  to  camp  out  for  the  night." 

"  Well,  they    understand    that    well    enough," 
said  Tom.     «  Bart  and  Pat  can  put  up  as  neat  a 
camp  as  any  two  fellows  going." 
14 


■IUIIK.U''.II. 


~—r^:^^ 


210 


THE   TREASURE   OP   THE  SEAS. 


XVII. 

A  neio  Arrival.  —  The  "long-shore  Man.^^  —  A 
strange  and  startling  Tale.  —  Fears  once  more 
awakened.  —  The  Stranger^s  superstitious  Dread. 
—  Tlie  Boat  found,  but  the  Boys  gone.  —  The 
Landlord's  Statement  —  Fears  confrmed  and  in- 
creased.—  Off  to  the  Bescue. —  Oak  Island.  —  Tlie 
empty  Boat. —  Where  are  the  Boys?  —  The  flooded 
Pits.  —  No  Signs  of  the  Missing  Ones.  —  Tlte 
grisly  Theory  of  Boach.  —  Kidd  and  his  Gang. 


^HE  remarks  of  the  landlord  served  to  weaken 
the  belief  of  Artlinr  and  Phil  in  their  theory 
of  the  boat,  and  they  began  to  doubt  the 
expediency  of  setting  off  in  the  Antelope.  The 
easy  way  also  in  which  the  landlord  met  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  case,  and  accounted  for  everything, 
had  a  very  great  effect  in  diminishing,  if  not  in  de- 
stroying, the  anxiety  which  they  had  begun  to  feel. 
They  had  nothing  to  offer  in  reply,  and  they  natu- 
rally gave  up  their  proposal.  They  began  to  think 
that  the  absentees  might  make  their  appearance 
at  any  moment,  and  that  under  the  circumstances 
it  would  be  very  unwise   to  start  off  on  a  long, 


A    NEW    ARRIVAL. 


211 


uncertain,  and  unprofitable  cruise  in  the  Antelope. 
And  thus  it  was  that  the  whole  party  came  to  the 
conclusion  to  remain  where  they  were,  and  wait 
for  Bart  and  Pat. 

With  this  intention  they  all  went  back  to  the  inn. 
On  arriving  there,  they  found  a  man  who  had  just 
come  to  the  house,  and  was  waiting  to  find  the 
landlord.  He  looked  like  one  of  those  half  frtrm» 
ers,  half  fishers,  who  live  about  Mahono  Bay ;  and 
the  boys  would  not  have  paid  any  attention  to  him, 
had  they  not  been  startled  by  his  first  words. 

"  It's  about  a  couple  o'  lads,"  said  he,  "jest  like 
them  there.  I'm  afraid  there's  somcthin  gone 
wrong  with  'em." 

At  the  mention  of  "  a  couple  o'  lads  jest  like 
them  there,"  all  the  boys  started,  and  gathered 
round  the  stranger  with  eager  and  anxious  curi- 
osity. 

"  Ye  see,"  continued  the  man,  "  it  was  yester- 
day morn'n,  —  an  them  two  come  a  knockin  at  my 
door  about  sunrise,  or  not  much  arter,  and  asked 
tlie  way  to  Oak  Island." 

"  Oak  Island !  "  repeated  the  landlord,  in  a 
strange  voice.  The  other  boys  noticed  his  tone, 
but  as  they  knew  nothing  whatever  of  the  char- 
acter of  Oak  Island,  they  were  of  course  unable 
to  understand  the  cause  of  it,  or  the  meaning  of 
those  words. 

"  It  seems  they  was  a  huntin  up  the  way  there," 
continued  the  man.   "  They  had  a  boat  with  them." 


212 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


"  A  boat  ?  "  said  the  landlord ;  "  a  sail-boat,  or 
row-boat  ?  " 

"  A  sail-boat,"  said  the  man.  "  They  were  stran- 
gers —  that  was  evident ;  and  they  wanted  to  find 
Oak  Island.  Wal,  I  showed  them  the  island,  for 
it  can  be  seen  plain  enough  from  my  door.  My 
name's  Roach,  an  I  live  on  the  shore  up  there.  So 
we  had  some  talk  about  the  treasure,  an  they  asked 
me  if  I  believed.  An  I  says,  *  Yes,  I  do.'  For  at 
first  they  thought  I  didn't  believe.  But  I  did,  an 
I  do.  And  J  says  to  them,  says  I,  *  Flesh  an  blood 
won't  never  lay  hands  on  that  thar  treasure  till 
there's  a  sacrifice  of  human  life  took  place.'  That's 
what  I  says,  in  so  many  words.  Wal,  some  more 
words  followed,  an  then  them  two  went  on  an 
steered  to  the  island. 

"  Wal,  I  don't  know  how  it  was,  but  I  kep  a 
thinkin  about  them  two  all  day  long.  At  last  I 
fell  a  wonderin  why  they  didn't  come  back.  There 
wasn't  no  sign  of  any  boat  a  comin  back  from  that 
island.  They  was  on  it,  I  knowed  ;  an  why  they 
staid  on  it  I  couldn't  make  out.  It  began  to 
bother  me.  An  all  the  time  I  couldn't  help  thinkin 
of  what  I  told"  em,  an  the  words  kep  a  ringin  in 
my  ears  as  to  how  that  there's  got  to  be  a  sacrifice 
of  human  life  before  the  treasure's  riz  out  of  the 
hole  whar  the  pirates  buried  it.  An  I  couldn't 
get  them  words  out  o'  my  head.  An  what's  more, 
I  got  a  thinkin  that  them  two  luds  was  kine  o'  con- 
nected with  thorn  words,  —  jest  as  if  it  was  a  sort 


A  STRANGE  AND   STARTLING   TALE. 


213 


o'  prophecy  like,  that  I'd  gone  an  spoke,  —  not 
knowin,  an  not  intcndin  it,  you  know,  but  givin  a 
prophecy  all  the  same,  — as  is  gen'rally  the  case, 
you  know ;  for  often  it  happens  that  them  that 
prophesies  hain't  got  no  intention  of  so  doin,  an 
hain't  got  no  reel  idee  of  th3  meanin  of  what 
they're  sayin.  An  that  was  jest  the  case  with  me, 
an  it  was  only  afterwards  that  these  thoughts 
come. 

"  Wal,  all  day  long  I  was  in  this  state,  an  felt 
dreadful  anxious,  an  more  an  more  so  as  the  day 
went  by.  It  was  yesterday.  An  I  see  no  signs 
of  that  thar  boat  a  comin  back.  An  when  evenin 
come  I  begun  to  feel  pooty  skeart,  an  I'd  a  gone 
off  tlien  but  darsn't,  for  fear  of  the  ghosts  of  them 
^Id  pirates  tliat  prowl  around  on  the  island  arter 
dark.  I  didn't  close  my  eyes  all  last  night,  or  sleep 
a  wink,  for  thinkin  o'  them  two  lads.  It  seemed 
to  me  that  I'd  been  kine  o'  to  blame  —  though  whar 
the  blame  was,  no  one  can  say,  for  I  was  as  inno- 
cent of  blame  as  a  babe  unborn.  But  so  it  was, 
an  I  couldn't  sleep.  Wal,  this  morn'n  I  was  up 
before  dawn,  an  into  my  boat,  an  oflf  for  the  island. 
I  got  thar  about  sunrise. 

"  Wal,  I  landed  thar,  on  Oak  Island,  an  the  fust 
thing  I  see  was  that  thar  identical  boat  that  tlie 
boys  had  —  the  very  one.  I  couldn't  mistake  it ; 
an  it  lay  hauled  up  on  the  beach,  an  tied  thar.  But 
thar  wasn't  any  sign  of  any  boys  anywhars.  I 
called,  an   shouted,   but  no  answer   come.     Wal, 


214 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE   SEAS. 


then  I  walked  up  some  distance,  an  looked  all 
around  everywhars.  'Taiu't  much  of  an  island  in 
size  ;  so  I  soon  walked  all  round  it ;  but  I  didn't  see 
nothin  of  them  thar  lads.  I  looked  at  one  or  two 
of  them  pits  that's  ben  dug  thar,  but  didn't  see 
anythin  but  water.  1  kep  a  screamin  an  a  shoutin 
all  the  time,  but  thar  wasn't  any  answer  at -all. 
Thar  was  the  boat  on  the  beach,  —  but  whar  was 
the  boys?  I  couldn't  see  era,  I  couldn't  find  em  ; 
and  though  I  called  for  em,  they  didn't  answer. 

"  Wal,  1  went  back  to  the  beach,  an  then  I 
stood  an  tried  to  think  what  I'd  best  do.  Some- 
thin  had  happened.  I  knowed  that  the  beat 
thing  to  do  was  to  make  haste  an  try  to  let  the 
friends  of  them  lads  know  how  things  was.  I 
knowed  that  they  was  strangers  in  these  parts,  an 
that  they'd  come  from  Chester.  I  thought  I'd  find 
out  about  em  here  at  the  inn,  an  that  the  best  an 
quickest  way  would  be  to  come  right  straight  off 
to  this  place,  an  see  if  I  couldn't  larn  somethin 
about  em,  or  find  some  friends  o'  thairs  that'd  come 
with  me  back  again,  an  find  out,  for  sure  an  sartin, 
what  it  was  that  had  happened.  An  what  troubled 
me  most  all  the  time,  and  troubles  me  now,  is 
them  very  words  that  I  said  to  em  as  to  how  that 
it  was  necessary  that  thar  must  be  a  sacrifice  of 
human  life.  For  I'm  kine  o'  feared  that  it's  turned 
out  true,  an  that  them's  the  very  ones  that  was 
destined  to  be  that  sacrifice.  They've  got  into 
some  trouble,  I  know  —  but  how  it  was  I  don't 


THE  stranger's   SUPEnSTITIOUS   DREAD.        215 


know,  an  whether  it  was  in  the  day  time,  or  at 
niglit.     This  is  what  I  want  to  find  out." 

"  What  did  the  boys  look  like?  "  asked  the  land- 
lord, as  the  man  ceased. 

"  Wal,  jest  sech  lookin  lads  as  these  —  not  overly 
well  dressed,  in  fact  a  leetle  mite  shabby;  but 
one  of  them  was  a  gentleman's  son,  —  no  doubt 
o'  that ;  an  the  other  was  a  bright-lookin  lad 
enough." 

"  It's  Bart  and  Pat.  There's  no  doubt  of  that," 
said  Bruce. 

"  And  what  sort  of  a  boat  was  it  ?  " 

"O,  an  ordinary  Chester  boat,  with  a  sail,  as  I 
said." 

"  Is  the  boat  on  the  beach  of  Oak  Island  yet?" 

"Course  it  is.  I  left  it  where  it  was.  But  air 
them  thar  boys  a  stoppin  here  ?  Do  you  know 
them  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  landlord,  in  a  husky  voice ;  and 
he  stood  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  with  his 
eyes  cast  down. 

Upon  the  boys  this  information  had  produced  an 
cfToct  which  was  at  once  distressing  and  puzzling. 
It  was  distressing,  from  the  fact  that  this  stranger 
more  than  hinted  at  some  possible  evil  befalling 
their  two  companions ;  and  his  gloomy  allusions  to 
his  prophecy  about  the  "  sacrifice  of  human  life," 
together  with  the  expression  of  his  own  anx- 
iety, produced  a  corresponding  effect  upon  all  of 
them.    But  it  was  also  puzzling,  for  they  could  not 


216 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


imagino  what  thoro  was  on  this  Oak  Island  to  at- 
tract Bart  and  Pat ;  or,  if  tliere  was  any  attrac- 
tion in  it,  how  Bart  and  Pat  had  found  it  out. 
Various  expressions  made  use  of,  however,  such  as 
his  allusions  to  "  pirates  "  and  "  treasure,"  served 
to  make  them  suspect  tliat  this  Oak  Island  might 
bo  the  very  place,  in  search  of  which  they  had 
come  to  Chester,  the  place  indicated  by  the  story  of 
the  governor  of  Sable  Island  ;  that  somehow  Bart 
'  and  Pat  had  made  this  discovery,  and  had  remained 
behind,  while  they  went  to  Aspotogon  for  the  ex- 
press purpose  of  finding  out  the  place  for  them- 
selves. 

In  this  suspicion  they  were  right,  and  it  was 
confirmed  by  the  landlord. 

"  I  see  it,"  he  exclaimed,  suddenly.     *'  I  have  it." 

"What?  "asked  Bruce. 

"  Why,  I  know  now  why  they  didn't  go  with 
you." 

"Why?"       "  ' 

"  Why,  because  they  wanted  to  go  to  Oak 
Island." 

"  Oak  Island  ?  But  what  is  there  in  Oak  Is- 
land?" 

"  Enough  to  attract  any  one.  I  told  them  about 
it  the  evening  of  the  day  you  came  —  all  about 
the  pirates,  and  how  Kidd  buried  his  treasure 
there,  and  how  it  was  found  out,  and  the  diflerent 
attempts  made  to  raise  it.  It's  too  long  a  story 
now.     You   can   hear  it  some  other  time.    But 


THE   LANDLORD  3   STATEMENT. 


217 


1  told  it  to  them,  and  they've  gone  wild  with  ex- 
citement to  visit  the  island  themselves.  Tiiat's  it. 
Yea,  that's  it.  But  I  didn't  think  they'd  clear  out 
this  way.  What  made  them  do  it?  They  made  a 
great  secret  of  it.  What  was  the  use  of  that? 
And  now  what  in  the  world  has  become  of  them  ?  " 

"They  went  to  that  thar  island/'  said  Roach, 
**  an  they've  never  left  it." 

"  Are  you  sure  you  went  all  over  it?  " 

"  Sure  ?    Of  course." 

"  And  the  boat  was  on  the  beach  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  an  it'j  thar  yet.  An  if  them  lads  be- 
long to  this  here  party,  then  my  advice  is,  you'd 
better  hurry  off  an  find  out  what's  become  o'  them. 
I'm  dreadful  anxious  still,  an  want  to  know  the 
wust.  An  I'm  afeard  that  if  we  find  out  anything, 
it'll  be  the  very  wust." 

To  this  disheartening  remark  there  was  no  re- 
ply made.  The  boys  all  felt  the  same.  Arthur 
and  Phil,  who  had  at  first  felt  anxious  about  the 
absentees,  now  felt  a  worse  anxiety  ;  while  Bruce 
and  Tom,  who  had  explained  aw.'iy  their  absence, 
now  knew  not  what  to  say  or  to  think.  Although 
the  evident  superstition  of  the  man  Roach  lessened 
somewhat  the  value  of  his  testimony,  still  they 
could  not  conceal  from  themselves  the  fact,  that 
there  were  grave  reasons  for  alarm,  —  such  as  the 
boat  on  the  shore,  and  the  failure  of  his  cries  to 
reach  the  ears  of  the  boys.  Where  could  they  be, 
that  in  a  circuit  of  the  island,  this  visitor  had  not 


B 


!!   i 


218 


THE  TREASURE   OF   THE  SEAS. 


boon  ablo  to  see  tliom,  or  to  make  liis  cries  Iicarrl  ? 
Wliat  could  have  liapponed  to  them  ?  What  sort 
of  dangers  could  liave  presented  themselves  ? 
The  dangers  which  had  been  suggested  by  the 
superstitious  fancy  of  Roach  had  no  terrors  in 
their  eyes,  and  no  weight  in  their  minds,  —  at  least 
in  broad  day.  But  there  might  be  otiier  dangers, 
of  a  material  kind,  of  which  they  knew  nothing. 
What  did  he  mean  by  those  "  pits  "  full  of  water  ? 
What  pits  ?  They  could  not  guess  at  this,  for  they 
had  not  heard  the  landlord's  story,  and  Oak  Island 
was  all  an  unknown  ground  to  them. 

Such,  then,  were  the  questions  and  the  fears 
which  were  started  by  the  anxiety  of  the  boys ; 
and  the  more  they  thought  over  these  things,  the 
more  that  anxiety  increased. 

But  one  thing,  of  course,  now  remained  to  be 
done,  and  that  was,  to  hasten,  as  fast  as  possible, 
to  the  place  where  Bart  and  Pat  had  gone,  and 
search  for  themselves  after  their  lost  companions. 
The  landlord  at  once  began  his  preparations.  The 
Antelope  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  By  taking 
her,  time  would  be  lost ;  for  it  was  necessary  to 
start  from  th^  back  bay,  which  was  very  much 
nearer  to  Oak  Island.  Roach  had  landed  on  that 
side,  and  his  boat,  a  roomy  whaler,  was  at  their 
disposal.  They  therefore  at  once  decided  to  em- 
bark in  her,  and  go  by  that  way  in  search  of  the 
lost  ones. 

They  set  forth  at  once,  the  landlord  accompany- 


OFF  TO   TFIK   RESCUE. 


219 


inp^  tliom.  It  was  not  thought  noccasary  to  send 
word  to  Captain  Corbet,  as  lie  would  not  bo  able 
to  do  anytliing,  and  miglit  only  embarrass  their 
movements  by  an  untimely  fussiness,  or  by  an 
anxious  determination  to  accompany  them  in 
Roach's  boat.  A  walk  of  a  few  minutes  brought 
them  to  the  back  bay,  where  the  boat  was  lying. 
It  was  soon  afloat,  and  the  party  embarked.  Then 
the  sail  was  hoisted,  and  as  the  wind  was  fair  and 
fresh,  they  moved  rapidly  through  the  water,  head- 
ing for  Oak  Island.  On  the  way  the  landlord  in- 
formed them  that  he  had  told  to  Bart  an<l  Put  tho 
story  of  Oak  Island,  and  gave  them  a  kind  of 
summary  of  the  same  story.  From  this  tho  boys 
were  able  to  understand  why  it  was  that  their 
absent  companions  had  not  accompanied  them, 
though  they  were  still  at  a  loss  to  know  why  it 
was  that  they  had  made  such  a  secret  of  their 
plan,  and  what  their  purpose  had  been  in  thus 
setting  out  by  themselves.  They  could  only  con- 
clude that  Bart  and  Pat  wished  to  have  the  whole 
glory  of  making  some  discovery  by  themselves, 
Avith  which  they  should  astonish  their  companions  ; 
and  if  there  was  any  hope  left  in  their  minds,  it 
was  that  they  had  purposely  secreted  themselves 
from  Roach,  so  as  not  to  be  disturbed  in  their  in- 
vestigations. And  this  hope,  though  it  was  a  faint 
one,  served  to  sustain  them  to  some  extent. 

In  a  short  time  they  reached  Oak  Island,  where 
they  landed  at  the  very   place   which   had   been 


220 


THE  TREASURE   OF   TUB  SEAS. 


clioson  by  Bart  and  Pat  for  their  landing.  Hero 
the  first  tiling  that  they  noticed  was  the  boat 
which  their  frienda  had  brought,  and  which  lay  as 
they  had  left  it.  It  was  with  melancholy  forebod- 
ings that  they  looked  upon  it,  wondering  what  had 
been  the  fate  of  those  who  had  brought  it  here. 
But  there  was  no  time  to  waste  in  useless  regrets 
or  idle  fears.  There  was  a  very  serious  business 
before  them  —  the  search  after  their  lost  com- 
panions. 

They  went  up  from  the  beach  upon  the  island 
just  as  Pat  and  Bart  iiad  gone,  and  noticed  the 
same  things.  They  came  to  the  mound  of  bluish 
clay,  and  saw  the  pit  close  by  filled  with  water. 
They  examined  this  narrowly,  as  though  they 
feared  to  find  their  friends  here.  Then  they  went 
on  further.  Another  mound,  marking  the  presence 
of  another  pit.  They  now  began  to  understand 
the  full  meaning  of  these  "  pits  "  to  which  Roach 
had  alluded.  It  was  with  a  feeling  of  great  relief 
that  they  saw  no  signs  here  of  their  lost  friends. 
From  this  they  went  on  farther  to  a  third  pit. 

"  I  can't  imagine,"  said  the  landlord,  "  how  any 
harm  could,  have  happened.  Two  sensible  boys 
like  these  couldn't  have  fallen  into  any  trouble 
here.  They  wouldn't  feel  inclined  to  jump  into  a 
flooded  pit  and  drown  themselves.  As  to  this  pit, 
it  is  dr}-^ ;  and  I  don't  think  they  would  go  down 
into  it.  Why  should  they  ?  They  wouldn't  jump 
down,  for   they  were   not  yet  quite  tired  of  life, 


THE  GRISLY  THEORY  OP  ROACH. 


221 


and  there's  nothing  here  to  show  that  they  lowered 
themselves  down." 

Roach  solemnly  shook  his  head. 

"  'Tain't  that,"  said  he ;  «  'tain't  that.  It's  the 
sporits  —  the  ghosts  of  the  old  pirates,  that  allers 
haunts  this  island.  No  man  dare  live  on  it,  except 
when  they  come  in  companies.  One  or  two,  men 
or  boys,  air  at  their  mussy.  Tain't  no  or'nary 
uthly  dume  that's  come  over  them  thar  lads.  It's 
Kidd  an  his  gang  that's  ben  an  done  for  them." 


222 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE   SEAS. 


XVIII. 


A  Place  of  Peril.  —  Tlie  Descent  of  the  Darkness.  — 
Dreadful  Expectation.  —  The  Sound  from  the 
nether  Abyss.  —  The  rising  Waters.  —  Higher 
and  higher.  —  A  Gleam  of  Hope.  —  TJie  Beams 
intermixed.  —  Borne  ujjward  on  the  Waters.  — 
Tlie  last  Chance.  —  A  final  Struggle.  —  Pat  up 
to  the  Surface.  —  Dropping  a  Line  to  a  Friend. 
—  The  midnight  Sky,  and  the  moonlit  Sea.  —  I%e 
lone  Hut.  —  TJie  Explorers.  —  Despondency.  —  A 
last  Resort.  —  Sleepers  awake.  —  Wild  and  fran- 
tic Joy.  —  Tlie  Voice  of  the  Landlord. —  Tlce  Joint 
Stock  Com,pany,  and  the  Steam  Engine. 

'HE  coming  c>f  darkness  gave  a  new  horror  to 
those  wh.'oh  already  surrounded  Bart  and 
Pat  far  down  in  the  pit.  This  made  tliem 
perceive  how  long  they  had  already  been  down, 
and  threw  a  new  difficulty  in  the  way  of  escape. 
But  that  way  of  escape  seemed  already  to  be  effectu- 
ally closed  when  Pat  brought  back  his  terrible  in- 
telligence from  the  bottom  of  the  pit.  They  had 
formed  a  new  plan,  which  had  given  them  hope  ;  but 
now  the  only  way  of  carrying  out  that  plan  into 


DESCENT   OF  THE   DARKNESS. 


223 


execution  was  snatched  from  them  by  the  atlvanco 
of  the  waters.  Tliero  was  notliing  for  them  to  do. 
To  cHnib  up  tlio  log  casing  was  impossible,  and  to 
dig  through  the  clay  was  equally  so  without  some 
strong,  sharp  instrument,  like  the  pickaxe. 

Nothing  was  visible  down  below,  and  up  above 
it  grew  steadily  darker.  Whether  the  water  below 
was  rising  higher  in  the  pit  or  not  they  were  un- 
able to  find  out  from  actual  sight,  but  they  had  a 
full  conviction  that  it  was  steadily  advancing  higher 
and  higher  towards  them,  and  that  with  its  advance 
it  was  also  unsettling  or  sapping  away  altogether 
the  sides  of  the  pit.  Awful  were  the  moments,  and 
terrible  the  forebodings.  The  darkness  intensi- 
fied every  fear,  and  made  the  actual  dangers 
by  which  they  were  surrounded  still  more  for- 
midable. 

Overhead  they  could  see  the  shadowy  form  of 
the  broken  beam  still  hanging,  and  still  threatening 
to  fall  at  any  moment.  The  rope  fastened  to  it  had 
broken  below  the  point  where  they  were  seated, 
and  Avas  within  reach  of  their  hands  ;  but  it  was  of 
no  use.  Had  the  beam  above  boon  strong,  they 
could  have  easily  saved  themselves  in  this  way  ;  but 
the  beam  being  broken,  they  dared  not  touch  the 
rope.  The  terror  of  tiie  broken  beam  was,  how- 
ever, lost  sight  of  in  the  presence  of  that  greater 
terror  advancing  from  below,  minute  by  minute  — 
the  terror  of  that  water  into  whose  mysterious 
sources  they  had  penetrated  ]  whose  secret  foun- 


224 


THE   TREASURE    OP   THE   SEAS. 


tain  tbey  had  broken  up,  and  which  now,  hko  some 
formidable  monster  too  rashly  challenged,  was  ad- 
vancing step  by  step,  in  irresistible  power,  to  take 
"vengeance  upon  these  reckless  intruders.  That 
soil  beneath  had  shown  its  looseness  by  tumbling 
down  in  the  removal  of  the  lower  logs ;  the  tena- 
cious upper  clay  did  not  exist  there ;  and  it  seemed 
to  them  tliat  the  rising  water,  by  permeating  all  the 
soil,  might  at  any  moment  cause  all  the  pit  to  fall 
together  in  one  heap  of  undistinguishable  ruin.  In 
that  case,  they  would  be  overwhelmed  beyond  the 
possibility  of  escape,  and  snatched  from  the  world  to 
destruction,  without  leaving  behind  them  the  faint- 
est vestige,or  the  slightest  token  of  their  awful  fate. 

At  such  a  moment  nothing  was  said.  Nothing 
could  be  said.  They  sat  there  then  in  silence, 
listening  with  sharpened  senses  for  any  sound  that 
might  tell  of  the  approach  of  the  water.  For  a 
long  time,  however,  they  heard  nothing  except  the 
quick  throbbing  of  their  own  hearts,  until,  at  last, 
there  gradually  came  up  a  dull  sound,  which  slowly 
resolved  itself  into  something  like  thumping  and 
grinding. 

They  listened  nt  w  with  intense  excitement  and 
agitation  to  these  sounds. 

What  were  tho}  ? 

There  was  only  one  meaning  which  they  were 
able  to  give  to  them.  It  seemed  as  if  these  sounds 
must  indicate  the  breaking  up  of  the  lower  casing 
of  logs  that  lined  the  pit  —  the  first  notice  sent 


THE   RISING   WATERS. 


225 


them  of  that  break-up  which  was  inevitable.  Every 
sound  seemed  to  tell  of  some  new  log  severed  from 
its  place  by  the  pressure  of  the  surrounding  soil, 
which,  now  saturated  with  water,  and  transformed 
to  a  sort  of  ooze,  streamed  through  the  crannies, 
and  destroyed  the  staying  of  the  pit.  At  this 
thought  the  expectation  of  the  end  grew  stronger, 
their  awful  doom  seemed  more  immediate,  and 
every  nerve  tingled,  and  every  fibre  of  their 
being  thrilled  with  a  sense  of  horror. 

They  sat  with  their  legs  hanging  over,  and  their 
hands  grasping  the  log  beneath  as  firmly  as  they 
could.  It  was  while  they  were  in  this  position  that 
Bart  felt  something  strike  his  foot.  At  that  touch 
his  first  impulse  made  him  shrink  back  in  terror, 
and  jerk  both  feet  into  the  air.  The  same  moment 
Pat  felt  the  same,  and  evinced  the  same  repug- 
nance by  a  similar  gesture.  A  moment's  thought, 
however,  served  to  show  Bart  what  it  might  be ; 
80,  reaching  his  feet  down  as  far  as  he  could  in 
order  to  test  it,  he  found  that  his  suspicions  were 
correct,  and  tliat  the  water  had  risen  to  that  point. 
What  had  touched  his  foot  was  a  log  that  had 
floated  on  the  top  of  the  rising  water. 

But  there  were  more  than  one  log,  and  this  was 
the  discovery  that  Bart  made  ;  and  these  logs  were 
a  dense  mass  that  filled  the  pit,  and  were  carried  up 
by  the  water  in  this  way.  They  had  loosened 
many  logs  at  the  bottom,  and  had  stood  the  long 
ones  upright,  while  the  shorter  ones  lay  lungtii- 
15 


226 


THE   TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


wise.  It  was  in  about  this  same  position  that  the 
mass  of  logs  now  floated  up,  and  reached  the  place 
where  they  could  be  touched. 

Jn  a  moment  a  joyful  cry  escaped  Bart. 

"  What's  the  matter?"  cried  Pat. 

"  We're  safe  !  we're  safe  !  "  cried  Bart. 

These  were  the  first  words  that  had  been  spoken 
since  Pat  first  announced  the  entrance  of  the  water. 

"  Safe,  is  it  ?  "  said  Pat.  "  Pd  like  to  know  how, 
so  T  would." 

"  Why,  these  logs  ;  only  feel  with  your  feet,  Pat. 
They're  all  floating  up.  I  never  thought  of  that. 
Only  feel  how  compact  and  solid  they  are.  They'll 
bear  our  weight,  and  we  can  float  up  with  them." 

Pat  for  a  moment  made  no  remark,  but  reached 
out  his  feet,  and  felt  as  far  as  he  could.  Then  a 
cry  of  joy  burst  from  him. 

"  Huroo !  "  he  cried.  **  By  the  powers  1  but  it's 
safe  we  are.  Sure  it's  as  solid  as  a  fluro,  so  it  is. 
It's  a  raft  that  wo  have,  and  it'll  float  us  as  high  as 
it  goes." 

"  Yes,  if  it  don't  cave  in  first." 

"Cave  in,  is  it?  O,  sure  but  it  won't  be  likely 
to  cave  in  up  here  at  all  at  all." 

"  We'd  better  lie  along  at  full  length." 

"An  what'll  we  do  that  for ? " 

"  0,  so  as  to  get  the  advantage  of  the  floating 
power  of  all  the  logs.  If  we  stand  on  one  or  two 
they'll  sink  down  at  once." 

"  Sure  an  that's  so.    It's  right  you  are,  so  it  is. 


i 

PROSPECT   OF   ESCAPE.                            227 

We'll  He  down  at  full  lingth ;  an  0,  don't  I  wish 

we  could  take  a  bit  of  a  nap ! " 

"  No,  don't  think  of  that,  Pat ;  we've  got  lots  to 

do  vet." 

"Nappin?  mo  nappin?    Sure  it's  only  funnin  I 


7) 


wor. 

"  At  any  rate,  wo  need  only  to  float  up  to  the 
plank  casing.  Then  we'll  be  all  right.  And  it 
seems  to  be  coming  up  pretty  fast.  It's  risen  a  foot 
already,  since  we  first  felt  it." 

"So  it  has,  sure." 

"  We'd  better  be  getting  ready.  I'll  drop  oflf 
first,  and  roll  over  to  tiie  other  side,  and  hold  on 
to  as  many  as  I  can,  and  then  you  come  along  af- 
ter me." 

"Wait  a  bit,  sure,  till  it  gits  a  few  inched 
higher.     It'll  be  up  fast  enough,  sure." 

"  O,  yes,  of  course." 

The  boys  now  waited  in  silence  for  a  little  while 
longer.  The  water  rose  steadily,  bearing  up  the 
mass  of  logs  on  their  surface.  At  length,  slowly 
and  cautiously,  Bart  allowed  himself  to  pass  upon 
the  logs,  and  to  his  immense  delight,  found  that 
they  supported  his  weight. 

"  Hurrah,  Pat!  "  said  he.  "  They're  as  solid  as  a 
rock.     Come  along." 

In  a  few  moments  Pat  was  by  his  side. 

''  I  had  no  idea,"  said  Bart,  "  that  they  would  be 
80  solid." 

"  Nor  rao  aythor,"  said  Pat. 


228 


THE  TREASURE  OP   THE   SEAS. 


"  I  tell  you  what  it  is.  The  logs  were  stood  up- 
right, and  as  they  floated  up  from  the  ground,  they 
were  turned  in  all  directions,  and  got  so  mixed  up, 
that  each  one  supported  the  other,  and  the  short 
logs  have  got  mixed  up  with  the  long  ones  ;  and  so 
it's  just  like  a  regular  raft,  and  they  bear  us  as  well 
as  if  tiiry'd  all  been  laid  crosswise  on  purpose." 

"  Thn.  you,"  said  Pat ;  "  an  if  it's  so  solid,  1 

don't  see  \v  ^,y  wo  mightn't  stand  up." 

"  O,  we'd  better  not.  This  is  the  safest  way. 
We  might  jar  them,  or  shako  them  by  putting  too 
much  weight  on  one  spot." 

"  Well,  it's  best  not  to  be  in  too  big  a  hurry," 
said  Pat,  "  an  let  well  enough  alone." 

The  boys  now  relapsed  into  silence,  and  watched 
anxiously  their  progress.  By  feeling  the  logs  on 
the  sides  of  the  pit,  they  could  perceive  that  they 
were  rising  at  a  rate  that  was  very  satisfactory. 
Inch  after  inch  slipped  away  from  their  fingers ; 
log  after  log  on  the  sides  was  covered  by  the  rising 
water.  And  at  intervals,  as  they  looked  up  to 
measure  their  distance  from  the  top,  they  could  see 
that  it  was  steadily  diminishing. 

Yet  the  hope  which  had  arisen  within  them  did 
not  blind  them  to  the  danger  that  still  surrounded 
them.  Still  there  was  the  danger  of  the  broken 
log.  The  rope  hung  down,  and  never  ceased  to  re- 
mind them,  as  they  rose,  that  there  was  this  above 
them,  for  the  rope  coiled  itself  over  them,  and  they 
feared  to  make  the  slightest  movement,  lest  they 


HOPE   AND   FEAR. 


229 


might  give  it  a  pull.  Another  danger  was  the 
ciiance  tliat  the  pit  might  cave  in,  from  having  its 
foundations  more  and  more  sapped  by  the  water. 
This  danger  had  been  delayed  for  long,  but  the 
longer  the  time  was,  the  greater  tiie  danger  grew. 
But  most  of  all  they  feared  lest  the  supply  of  water 
might  cease  before  they  reached  the  plank  casing. 
If  these  waters  came  from  the  level  of  the  sea,  they 
would  not  rise  in  the  pit  higher  than  that  level ; 
and  whether  that  would  bring  them  as  high  as  the 
plank  casing,  they  could  not  tell.  Their  chief  hope 
arose  from  the  landlord's  statement  that  the  island 
was  not  more  than  thirty  feet  above  the  water,  and 
if  this  was  so,  they  know  that  they  might  get  to 
within  thirty  feet  of  the  top.  And  the  plank  cas- 
ing came  down  about  as  far  as  that. 

And  so,  full  of  hope  and  fear,  which  thus  alternat- 
ed, they  floated  up,  rising  higher  and  higher  every 
minute,  and  feeling  most  carefully  all  the  while  in 
order  to  note  the  progress  which  they  made.  At 
length  the  progress  grew  somewhat  slower,  and 
hope  began  to  grow  faint ;  still,  as  it  did  actually 
continue,  they  struggled  against  despondency,  and 
looked  upward. 

Their  progress  now  grew  slower.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  force  which  pressed  tlie  waters  on  was 
being  gradually  exhausted.  Was  tliis  because  that 
water  came  from  some  internal  reservoir,  or  be- 
cause they  had  now  reached  a  point  almost  at  the 
level  of  the   sea?     They  were   not   high   enough 


230 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


yet,  and  they  were  not  rising  fast  enough  for  their 
impatience. 

Bart  now  stood  up  and  felt.  They  were  near  to 
the  lowest  part  of  the  plank  casing,  yet  not  near 
enough.  Would  they  ever  get  nearer?  At  the 
rate  at  which  they  were  now  rising,  they  could 
scarcely  hope  to  rise  more  than  one  other  foot  at 
the  farthest.  And  the  plank  casing  was  four  feet, 
at  least,  above  his  head  —  quite  out  of  his  reach. 
What  then?  Must  they  lie  down  here  and  perish 
almost  within  reach  of  safety  ?  For  a  few  moments 
it  seemed  so. 

But  it  was  only  for  a  few  moments.  Suddenly 
the  problem  was  solved. 

"  Pat,'"'  cried  Bart,  "  I'll  stand  here.  You  climb 
up  till  you  get  yor  •  feet  on  my  shoulders.  You 
can  reach  the  planking  then." 

"  But  how'll  you  git  up  yourself?  "  asked  Pat, 
anxiously. 

"  Why,  when  you  git  up,  you  can  throw  me  that 
rope,  of  course,"  said  Bart. 

"  Sure  enough.  Och,  but  it's  the  fool  I  am,  sure, 
not  to  think  of  that." 

No  more  words  were  spoken.  Pat  did  as  Bart 
toid  him,  climbing  till  his  feet  rested  on  Bart's 
shoulders.  The  lowest  line  of  planks  was  within 
reach.  Here  he  found  a  place  to  grasp  with  his 
hands,  the  logs  below  affording  sufficient  foothold. 
He  found  no  difficulty.  It  was  almost  like  going  up  af 
ladder  now,  and  in  a  few  moments  ho  was  at  the  top. 


SAFE   AT   LAST. 


231 


Rut  all  danger  was  not  yet  over.  ITo  dared 
not  touch  the  broken  log,  and  could  not  detach  the 
rope  without  doing  so.  As  the  log  was,  it  seemed 
to  be  hanging  by  a  few  fibres,  and  the  slightest 
touch  might  send  it  down.  But  there  were  plenty 
of  ropes  at  the  hut,  and  he  at  once  hurried  away  to 
procure  one.  lie  brought  back  one  which  was 
quite  new,  and  therefore  strong  enough;  and  also 
a  crowbar.  Driving  the  crowbar  into  the  ground, 
he  bound  the  rope  to  it,  and  flung  the  end  down  to 
Bart,  who  had  been  waiting  patiently  in  the  mean 
time.  Pat  now  hold  the  crowbar  to  steady  it,  and 
Bart,  seizing  the  rope,  raised  himself  up.  A  slight 
efibrt  was  sufficient  to  bring  him  up  to  within 
reach  of  the  plank  casing,  and  for  the  rest  of  tho 
way  it  was  easy  enough. 

At  last  1  There  they  stood,  those  two,  who  had 
of  late  been  in  such  deep  and  dark  despair.  They 
stood  there,  drawing  deep  breaths  of  that  glad 
upper  air,  and  looked  around.  The  moon  shone 
from  on  high,  throwing  its  lustre  over  the  scene, 
and  pouring  upon  the  sea  a  silver  flood.  Joy  and 
gratitude  overwhelmed  them,  and  with  one  com- 
mon impulse  they  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  gave 
thanks  to  that  Merciful  One  who  had  drawn  them 
up  "  out  of  a  horrible  pit,"  and  restored  them  to 
the  light  of  life. 

But  their  excitement  and  their  labor  had  utterly 
exhausted  them  in  mind  and  body.  They  were 
terribly  fatigued.    To   row  back  to  Chester. was 


232 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


impossible.  They  therefore  went  off  at  onco  to 
the  little  hut,  and  here,  flinging  themselves  upon 
the  floor,  they  soon  sank  into  a  profound  slumber. 

Meanwhile  the  boys,  with  the  landlord,  and 
Roach,  had  searched  about  the  island,  until  the 
minds  of  all  were  filled  with  the  deepest  anxiety. 
The  hut  still  remained,  and  into  this,  not  expecting 
to  find  anything,  yet  still  anxious  to  search  every- 
where, they  all  went.  There  was  an  outer  room 
full  of  ropes  and  tools,  passing  through  which  they 
came  to  an  inner  room. 

Out  of  a  profound  slumber  Bart  and  Pat  were 
abruptly  roused,  and  opened  their  eyes  to  find 
themselves  surrounded  by  their  four  companions, 
perfectly  frantic  with  excitementand  joy,  together 
with  two  strangers,  the  landlord  and  the  man  who 
had  shown  them  the  way,  which  two  exhibited  a 
most  profound  emotion.  After  their  first  bewilder- 
ment, Bart  and  Pat  found  it  easy  to  guess  at  the 
meaning  of  this  scene,  and  the  memories  which 
they  had  of  their  terrible  adventure  fully  justified 
in  their  eyes  the  wild  joy  of  their  friends.  It  was 
a  comfort  to  them  to  perceive  that  they  had  thus 
been  promptly  followed,  for  they  saw  that  had  they 
not  been  able  to  get  out  of  the  hole,  they  would 
have  been  rescued  by  these  loving  hands  before  all 
was  lost. 

Long  explanations  were  deferred  for  the  present. 
Bart  and  Pat  were  in  a  state  of  starvation,  and 
their  friends  had  forgotten  to  bring  any  food.     But 


THE   JOINT   STOCK   COMPANY. 


233 


' 


Cliostor  was  not  far  away.  The  wind  was  fair,  and 
before  very  long  they  were  all  seated  at  the  inn 
table,  where  the  two  lost  ones  satisfied  their  rave- 
nous appetites,  and  the  other  boys  made  a  second 
breakfast,  which  was  more  satisfactory  tiian  the 
first  had  been. 

After  >vhich  Bart  and  Pat  told  the  whole  story 
minutely,  answering  every  question. 

The  wonder,  the  anxiety,  and  the  horror  that 
were  manifested  by  the  hearers  during  this  narra- 
tive need  not  be  described  here.  Roach  insisted 
that  it  was  all  the  doings  of  Kidd,  and  maintained 
that  life  must  yet  bo  sacrificed,  before  the  malign 
spirits  would  be  appeased,  and  surrender  the 
treasure.  The  landlord,  on  the  contrary,  rightly 
viewed  it  as  utter  recklessness  on  the  part  of 
the  boys.  The  previous  diggers  had  several 
times  broken  into  what  he  called  tho  *'  drain,"  and 
the  boys  had  done  the  same  thing,  and  so  he  de- 
clared all  would  do,  till  they  should  organize  the 
new  company,  and  set  up  a  steam  engine. 

And  here  it  may  be  as  well  to  state  that  the 
now  joint  stock  company  was  afterwards  organized, 
and  the  steam  engine  set  up,  and  a  regular  series  of 
engineering  experiments  carried  out.  Coffer  dams 
were  constructed  on  the  shore,  and  ever  so  many 
new  [)it8  were  dug  in  many  different  places.  In  spite 
(.)fall,howevpr,  the  new  company  was  a  total  failure; 
the  waters  of  the  sea  proved  stronger  than  their 
puny  arms ;  and  the  place  known  as  the  original 


iitmimm 


234 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


money-holo  was  never  reached.  Scientific  men 
laughed  at  the  theory  of  Kidd's  treasure,  and  the 
drain,  as  all  moonshine,  and  said  that  the  company 
might  as  well  try  to  dig  pits  in  a  quicksand ;. but 
the  stockholders  clung  to  their  faith  even  after 
they  had  failed,  and  to  this  day  talk  about  the 
"treasure,"  the  "money-hole,"  the  "chest,"  and 
the  "drain,"  as  though  they  were  all  solid  and  well- 
established  facts. 


THE  TALE   TOLD   TO   SOLOMON. 


235 


XIX. 


TJie  Tale  unfolded  to  Solomon  and  to  Captain  Cor- 
bet.—  How  they  took  it.  —  A  Neio  Departure. — 
A  Bee-line  for  Home.  —  An  Obstacle.  —  An  old 
Enemy.  —  All  at  Sea,  literally  and  fijuratively. 
—  Terrible  Calamity.  —  Striking  a  liock.  —  Peril- 
ous Position.  —  Talcing  to  the  Pumps.  —  Prepar- 
ing/or  the  Worst. 

WO  of  the  party  in  tlio  Antelope  had  neither 
heard  of  the  peril  of  Bart  and  Pat,  nor  known 
of  their  escape  fi:om  it ;  and  to  these  it  was 
that  the  information  of  these  things  came  last  of 
all,  yet  not  with  the  least  profound  etfect.  To 
Solomon  the  theory  of  the  man  Roach  seemed  un- 
answerable, and  the  very  mention  of  it  made  his 
eyes  roll  about  till  nothing  was  visible  except  two 
revolving  white  disks  on  an  ebon  ^^ound.  His 
fingers  clasped  one  another  nervously,  and  his  jaw 
fell  and  remained  hanging,  as  though  the  owner 
of  it  had  no  further  use  f(jr  it,  or  had  lost  all  con- 
trol of  it.  From  Solomon's  former  actions  on  dif- 
ferent occasions,  he  had  given  indications  of  a 
nature  that  was  not  untinged  with  superstition, 


23G 


THE   TREASURE   OF   TUB   SEAS. 


and  a  fanoy  tliat  was  rc;uly  to  kindlo  and  flamo  up 
"witli  all  tlioso  visions  of  tlio  Hupernatunil  wliicli 
sccni  Ko  c()njj,L'ni:il  to  tho  noj^ro  mind. 

"  0,  do  siikos  alivo  !  "  lio  cxi'laituod.  "  An  under 
noaf  do  groun  —  an  bai-k  agin  safo  !  What!  down 
below  dar  to  dat  ar  place  !  Clar,  if  it  don't  make 
dia  yer  ole  man  go  nigh  stracted  to  think  of.  On 
dat  ar  island,  down  in  dat  ar  hole,  dar's  a  hull  slew 
of  ghosts  an  hobblegobblums  ob  de  wustest  sort 
ob  pirates  an  murderers  all  lyin  in  wait,  wid  de  olo 
boy  himself,  an  a  watchin  ober  do  treasure.  How 
ebber  youna  managed  to  git  out  ob  de  clutches  ob 
dem  dar  hobblegobblums  beats  mo  —  does  so.  Clar, 
if  1  ain't  mos  'fraid  to  think  ob  it.  Darsn't  —  no 
how.  Ef  I'd  ben  down  dar,  I'd  gon  mad  wid  fright. 
But  dar  couldn't  bo  any  danger  ob  me  ebber  goin 
down  —  no,  sah  I  You  may  bet  high  on  dat  ar.  Not 
for  all  do  treasure  dat  Cap'n  Kidd  ebber  buried." 

Captain  Corbet  heard  tho  harrowing  story  with 
a  face  full  of  sickening  suspense  and  terrible  anx- 
iety. In  his  gentle  and  aflectionato  nature  ho 
seemed  to  suffer  all  that  the  boys  had  suffered. 
lie  made  no  remark  whatever,  and  after  it  was  all 
told,  he  remained  in  silence  for  some  time,  looking, 
in  an  abstracted  way,  at  vacancy.  The  others  re- 
spected his  evident  emotion,  and  stood  regarding 
him  in  solemn  silence. 

Aflength  he  raised  his  venerable  head,  and  sur- 
veyed Bart  and  Pat  with  an  impressive  gaze ;  after 
which  ho  looked  at  each  of  tho  other  boys. 


LAMENTS  OP   CORBET. 


237 


"  Well,  well,  well ! "  lie  said,  slowly,  and  with 
emphasis;  "had  1  a  knowed  —  had  1  a  thought — * 
had  I  a  s'poaed  —  had  1  adreampt  of  the  posseo- 
bility  of  this,  I'd  never  a  ventoored  into  any  harburo 
till  1  cud  anchor  opposite  my  natyve  hum.  An  I 
might  have  expected  it  —  tew.  I  know  how  it 
alius  was,  an  might  have  expected  how  it  alius  was 
a  goin  for  to  be.  But  this  hero  does  clap  the  cli- 
max. And  whulFore  ?  What  upon  airth  possessed 
you  to  ventoor  down  under  ground  on  a  broken 
rope,  hangin  from  a  rottt-j  beam?  Why,  it  won't 
bar  a  thinkin  on.  It's  wuss  than  anythin  that's 
happened  among  all  that  long  an  eventfuel  serious 
of  misfort'ns  an  clanities  that's  ben  a  befallin  of  us 
ever  sence  wo  fust  assembled  together  on  board 
this  hero  schewner. 

"And  now  what  am  I  a  goin  to  do?  Do?  Mo?. 
Why,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  a  goin  to  do.  I'm  a 
goin  to  take  up  a  bee-lino  for  hum,  an  never  enter 
another  harbure  —  no,  not  so  much  as  look  at  one, 
till  I  get  to  the  wharf  at  Grand  Pro.  Tliis  responsi- 
bility is  tew,  tew  kerushin.  I  ain't  a  stick,  an  I 
ain't  a  stun,  an  I  can't  abear  it.  A  human  heart' 
beats  in  tliis  aged  boosum,  an  it's  ben  wrung  on- 
common.  I  don't  want  to  got  anotlier  squinge. 
No  —  not  me.  An  so  I  intend  tin's  day  to  hist 
anchor,  an  spread  my  sail  to  catch  the  gale.  An 
them  that  wants  to  go  hum  by  land  air  at  liberty 
so  to  do  —  an  peace  an  joy  go  with  em  ;  but  them 
as  wishes  to  stand  by  tlio  ship  '11  bo  welcome  to 


238 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


the  aged  Corbet,  an  make  his  path  of  life  all  V.\q 
brighter  for  their  presence.  An,  so  sayin,  III 
kinclevvd." 

The  conclusion,  thus  announced,  was  one  wliich 
the  boys  were  not  unwilling  to  accept.  There  was 
nothing  more  hero  which  they  particularl}-  cared 
to  see.  After  the  adventure  of  Bart  and  Pat,  the 
treasure  of  the  seas  and  the  plunder  of  the  Spanish 
Main  lost  that  dazzling  and  alluring  charm  which 
hitherto  had  been  found  in  those  sounding  words. 
The  fact  that  it  was  so  inaccessible  was  of  itself 
sufficient  to  quell  their  ardor ;  but,  more  than  this, 
they  were  affected  by  the  information  of  past  at- 
tempts to  get  at  the  treasure,  and  especially  by  the 
present  efforts  at  forming  a  joint  stock  company. 
This  at  once  vulgarized  the  whole  affair.  It  put  it 
into  the  hands  of  every  one.  It  made  it  a  matter 
of  shares  and  shafts,  engineers  and  steam-engines. 
With  such  things  as  these  the  boys  felt  they  had 
nothing  to  do,  and  in  them  they  took  no  interest 
whatever.  Then,  finally,  the  adventure  of  Bart 
and  Pat  had  so  exhausted  the  possibilities  of  Ma- 
hone  Bay,  that  they  could  hope  for  nothing  which 
could  surpass  it. 

The  consequence  was,  that,  not  long  after  the 
happy  return  of  Bart  and  Pat,  the  Antelope  once 
more  set  sail.  The  wind  was  fair,  and  the  ship 
was  ready.  The  landlord  and  Roach  watched  them 
as  they  moved  away,  and  waved  their  hats  after 
thera  as  they  passed  down  the  harbor.    And  so  the 


AN  OBSTACLE. 


239 


Antelope  went  away,  leaving  behind  lier,  in  its 
resting-place,  undisturbed,  the  treasure  of  the  sea. 
All  that  day  the  wind  continued  fair  from  the 
north-west,  and  all  the  night  following.  The  Ante- 
lope made  a  good  run,  and  it  was  hoped  that  now 
they  might  reach  their  destination  without  any 
further  trouble ;  but,  on  the  following  day,  they 
found  that  these  hopes  were  premature,  and  that 
trials  yet  awaited  them  ;  for,  on  going  to  the  deck, 
they  saw,  all  around,  and  above,  and  beneath,  their 
old  enemy  —  the  enemy  that  they  detested  —  the 

fog- 
'  Yes,  the  fog  was  upon  them  —  like  some  stealthy, 

vigilant,  inexorable  foe,  who,   finding   them   thus 

setting  forth  on  their  last  voyage  for  home,  now 

a^ivanced  upon  them  from  all  side^^,  to  assail  them 

for  the  last  time.    Bruce  saw  this  firyt,  and  groaned. 

Arthur  groaned  likewise.     So  did  Tom  and  Phil. 

And  so  did  Bart  and  Pat.     As  for  Solomon,  he  took 

no  notice  of  it  whatever,  but  devoted  himself,  as 

usual,  to  his  pots  and  pans,  wiiile  Captain  Corbet 

had  far  too  philosophical  a  soul,  and  far  too  much 

experience  of  such  a  situation,  to  be  disturbed  in 

the  slightest  degree  by  so  r  >mmonplace  a  matter. 

"  I  don't  like  this,"  said  P'ruce,  after  a  long  and 
most  unhappy  silence,  which  told  more  eloquently 
than  words  their  opinions  as  to  this  last  mischance. 
"  I  didn't  expect  it." 

"  We  might  have  expected  it,"  said  Artliur, 
"judging  from  the  past.     We've  had  enough  of  it 


240 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


to  make  it  seem  natural.     Still,  I  didn't  expect  ll,  I 
must  say,  any  more  than  you  did." 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Phil,  "  I  had  forgotten  all 
about  it,  and  thought  that  the  Atlantic  Ocean  would 
be  like  Mahone  Bay." 

"  1  wish  we  had  left  the  Antelope,"  said  Tom, 
"and  gone  off  by  land,  as  Captain  Corbet  advised, 
either  to  Grand  Pre,  or  anj'^where  else." 

"  0,  sure  an  it'll  blow  over,  so  it  will,"  said  Pat. 

«  Not  it." 

"  Sure  an  it's  best  to  be  afther  lookin  on  the 
bright  side." 

"  There  isn't  any  bright  side  to  the  fog  that  I 
could  ever  see,"  said  Tom. 

"  Well,"  said  Bart,  "  we'll  have  to  do  as  we've 
done  before  —  grin  and  bear  it." 

"  But  it's  a  great  deal  harder  to  grin  now  than 
it  used  to  bo,"  said  Phil,  plaintively ;  "  and  I  can't 
bear  it  at  all." 

"  O,  well,  Captain  Corbet '11  work  his  way  along. 
He  understands  fog,  at  any  rate." 

"  Well,  1  don't  altogether  think  so,"  said  Bruce. 
"  After  losing  himself  so  utterly  a  few  days  ago, 
and  fetching  up  rft  Sable  Island,  I  rather  begin  to 
doubt  his  power  to  understand  fog." 

"  0,  well,  that  was  in  a  strange  place." 

"  Well,  this  is  a  strange  place." 

"  Not  quite.  Wo  are  getting  well  on  towards 
the  Bay  of  Fundy." 

"  Well,  we're  not  there  yet.    As  yet,  we're  in 


cokuet's  indecision. 


241 


tho  Atlantic  Ocean.  Now,  Captain  Corbet  got 
lost  once  before  in  thia  same  place,  —  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  —  and  it's  my  fixed  belief  that  he'll  do  it 
again." 

"  0,  we  know  where  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  is 
now,  and  we're  all  right.  I'm  determined  to  look 
on  the  bright  side." 

"  Well,  and  I'm  determined  to  be  prepared  for 
the  worst." 

The  event  showed  that  this  fog  did  not  have  a 
bright  side,  and  that  it  was  wiser,  in  these  circum- 
stances, to  be  prepared  for  tlie  worst.  That  day 
passed,  and  the  fog  still  held  on.  The  wind  that 
brought  the  fog  was  strong,  steady,  and  sustained, 
showing  ueither  violence  nor  irresolution,  but 
blowing  in  a  way  that  promised  to  last  long  after 
their  stock  of  patience  vas  exhausted.  It  was  a 
sou'-wester,  the  wind  ot  Iw^  and  storm. 

After  another  day  had  passed,  '^'aptain  Corbet'dj. 
face  assumed  an  expression,  the  me;uiiiig  of  \  hich 
was  but  too  well  known  to  all  tlio  boys  through  sad 
experience.  That  meaning  was,  that  he  was  puz- 
zled, that  ho  was  uncertain,  hesitating,  ind  not 
decided  where  to  go.  And  the  boys  discussed  thia 
among  themselves,  and  perceived  that  once  ap  in 
their  good,  their  venerable,  their  modest,  bir  Iter 
all,  somewhat  incapable  commander  had  again  lost 
his  way. 

"  Yo  see,"  said  ho  to  Bruco,  wlio  mentioned  this 
to  him  in  a  mild  way,  —  "ye  seethar's  ben  so  much 
16 


242 


THE  TREASUBE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


tackiu  backard  an  Ibrard  that  I  kine  o'  got  out  o'  tho 
knack  of  it,  an  tliar'a  a  kink  or  two  in  my  cal'la- 
tions.  Ef  we  hadn't  got  to  alius  boat  up  agin  this 
sou'-wester,  we'd  manage  to  keep  a  better  course ; 
but,  as  it  is,  we  ain't  got  no  course  in  pa'ticular, 
wuth  nientionin.  An  then  thar's  them  tides,  an 
currents,  an  all  that ;  an  what  with  them,  an  tackin, 
an  the  fog,  why,  it's  got  to  be  precious  hard  nav- 
igatin." 

"  But  why  don't  you  keep  well  in  to  the  Nova 
Scotia  shore  ?  " 

",  VVal,  that  thar's  the  very  identical  thing  I'm  a 
drivin  at,  an  I  dar  say,  if  tho  fog  was  to  lift,  you'd 
see  it  quite  handy  over  thar." 

*•  But  where  are  wo  now?" 

"  Wal,  as  nigh  as  1  can  cal'clate,  we've  about  got 

to  the  end  of  Nova  Scotia ;  an  I've  a  mind  to  tako 

a  long  tack  to  the  nothc-west,  next  turn,  an  hain't 

jrgot  no  reasonable  doubt  but  what  we'll  keep  on  till 

we  fetch  up  in  old  Fundy." 

All  this  was  rather  disheartening  to  tlie  boys. 
They  saw  that  Captain  Coibet  did  not  even  profess 
to  have  any  exact  knowle-ljjje  of  his  position,  and, 
judging  from  the  past,  they  did  not  believe  that  he 
hud  any.  Still,  the  change  of  course  wiiich  he 
announced  was  something,  and  it  seemed  to  afford 
some  slight  material  for  hope. 

At  length  the  Antelope  came  round  on  her  next 
tack,  and,  taking  a  north-west  course,  she  kept  it 
for  some   time.     At  first  the   ca])tain  was   rather 


STRIffING   OP  THE  SCHOONER. 


243 


watchful ;  but,  after  three  or  four  hours,  his  vigi- 
lance began  to  relax,  and  at  length  he  ventured  to 
announce  to  the  boys  that  they  must  bo  in  the  Bay 
of  Fundy. 

"  An  when  I'm  here,  in  this  Bay  o'  Fundy,  boys, 
mind  you,"  said  he,  with  something  of  exulta- 
'tion  in  his  tone,  —  "when  I'm  here,  why,  I'm  to 
hum.  These  waters  was  the  place  whar  I  sported 
in  boyhood's  days.  Here  I  matoored  into  a  man. 
Here  I've  held  commoon  with  the  ragin  biller,  an 
rode  on  the  kerest  of  tiie  toomultus  ocean.  You 
can't  disturb  me  when  I'm  in  old  Fundy.  It's  my 
hum.  Fog  an  tide  hev  ben  my  companions  from 
childhood,  an  the  Bay  of  Fundy  recognizes  in  the 
aged  Corbet  her  —  " 

But  what  he  was  going  to  say  was  never  said, 
for  the  word  was  taken  out  of  his  moutii,  and  ex- 
changed for  the  interjection,  — 

"  Hallo  1". 

The  Antelope  had  come  to  a  sudden  st(»p.  The 
shock  was  strong  enougli  to  knock  Captain  Corbet 
on  his  knees,  and  huddle  all  the  boys  together  in  a 
startled  and  struggling  crowd. 

In  an  instant  Corbet  was  on  his  feet,  and  rushed 
forward  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  The  boys 
followed.  The  helm  was  left  to  take  care  of  itself, 
and  the  sails  snapped  and  fluttered  in  the  wind. 
All  was  confusion. 

"  Why,  I  do  believe,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  do  rail- 
ly  believe  she's  struck  !  Dear  me  1  Wal,  I  never  j 
This  —  does  —  beat  —  my  —  grandmother  !  " 


244 


THE  TREASUBE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


Tliis  aillnaion  to  liia  grandmother,  under  snch 
circumstances,  far  from  reassuring  the  boys,  only 
excited  their  alarm  tlie  more,  and  made  them  think 
that  their  revered  commander  had  lost  his  senses. 

"Boys,"  cried  Bruce,  "the  Antelope's  struck^ 
and  ia  sinking.     We'll  have  to  take  to  the  boat. 

m 

I'll  fill  a  keg  of  water.  The  rest  of  you  gather  a 
supply  of  biscuit  for  a  week,  and  one  of  you  bring 
the  compass." 

"  0,  no ;  don't  trouble  yourselves,"  said  Captain 
Corbet.  "It's  —  it's  —  not  —  the  slightest  conse- 
kence.     Don't  —  don't  —  hurry." 

But  these  and  other  words  were  lost  on  the 
boys,  who,  now  in  the  full  conviction  that  the  Ante- 
lope was  sinking,  hurried  to  do  as  Bruce  had  told 
them. 

But  Tom  and  Pat  held  back.  Pat  rushed  to  the 
mainmast,  and  busied  himself  with  some  ropes ;  and 
Tom  went  to  the  pump,  and,  after  taking  a  peep 
into  the  hold,  began  pumping. 

After  a  minute  or  so  he  called  out, — 

"  I  say,  boys,  there's  no  hurry.  There's  no 
water  in  her." 

These  words  made  the  others  desist  from  their 
preparations.  Seeing  Tom  pumping,  it  struck  them 
all  that  this  was  better  than  taking  to  the  boat ;  so 
they  all  hurried  to  his  help.  As  yet,  however, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done. 

"  O,  thar's  no  danger  in  p'tic'lar,"  said  Captain 
Corbet.     "  She's  struck  a  sand-bank,  paps,  or,  paps, 


PERILOUS  POSITION. 


245 


a  reef,  somewhars.  An  now  I  wonder  whar  it 
can  be." 

To  this  remark,  which  showed  his  utter  igno- 
rance of  tlie  situation,  the  boys  had  no  reply  to 
make.  Bruce,  however,  tied  an  iron  belaying-pin 
to  a  rope,  and  began  sounding  for  bottom.  At  the 
stern  he  found  tliree  fathoms,  at  the  bows  only 
three  feet.  He  took  a  l)oat-hook,  and,  plunging  it 
down  into  the  water  at  the  bows,  found  that  it  was 
■Smooth  sand,  and  the  bows  were  resting  upon  it. 
Tliis  gave  some  comfort,  for  he  hoped  that  they 
might  yet  escape. 

But  the  wind  was  strong,  and  the  waves  made 
the  Antelope  roll  and  work  about  in  her  sandy  bed 
after  a  most  unpleasant  fashion.  If  this  continued 
long,  the  boys  knew  that  the  schooner  would  be 
lost,  for  she  could  not  resist  such  a  strain  as  this. 
Still,  they  turned  their  thoughts  now  rather  to  the 
task  of  saving  her,  if  possible,  than  taking  to  the 
boat;  and  so,  lowering  the  sails,  so  as  to  lessen 
the  effect  of  the  wind  upon  her,  they  set  to  work, 
some  with  the  sweeps  rowing,  and  others  with  the 
boat-hook  pushing,  and  thus  they  tried  to  get  her 
off  tlio  sand-bank. 

"  It's  about  the  best  thing  we  can  do,"  said  Cap- 
tain Corbet,  in  a  patronizing  tone ;  "  an  we'll  do  it 
3'et.     An  I  dare  say  the  tide'Il  lift  us." 

This  mention  of  the  tide  cheered  the  boys.  If 
the  tide  was  rising,  they  could  hope ;  if  not,  it 
would  bo  bad  for  them.     A  little  calculation  showed 


246 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


them  that  it  could  not  bo  falling,  but  must  be  rising, 
and  this  discovery  made  them  work  with  renewed 
energy. 

At  length  they  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding 
that  their  efforts  wore  successful.  The  water  at 
the  bows  deepened ;  the  schooner  moved.  Slio 
was  afloat  I  Quickly  the  sails  were  hoisted,  and 
the  Antelope,  catching  the  wind,  came  round,  and 
once  moro  sought  the  deep  water. 


AGAIN   AT  SEA. 


247 


XX. 


Once  more  upon  the  Waters.  —  Terrible  Discovery. 
— A  Foot  of  Water  in  the  Hdd.  —  To  the  Pumps. 
—  A  desperate  Struggle.  —  21ie  Evening  Meal.  — 
Captain  Corbet  gazes  on  Vacancy.  —  A  laborious 
Night  —  New  Toils.  —  Exhaustion.  —  Fighting 
with  the  rising  Waters.  —  Discouragement.  —  TJie 
Leak  gains  on  them.  —  The  End  approaching. 

CJJVUT  though  the  Antelope  was  oijce  more  in 
v^  deep  water,  their  troubles  were  not  yet  over, 
*^^  for  others  soon  arose  almost  as  grave  as^he 
one  from  which  they  had  just  escaped.  First  of  all, 
the  uncertainty  of  Captain  Corbet  as  to  his  position 
had  evidently  returned.  He  had  that  expression 
of  concern,  bewilderment,  and  confusion  which 
shows  a  puzzled  mind.  He  said  nothing,  but,  after 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  run,  brought  the  Ante- 
lope about,  and  went  on  another  tack.  And  now 
the  wind,  which  all  day  had  be-en  rather  fresh,  began 
to  lessen  more  and  more,  until  after  about  a  couple 
of  hours  it  had  almost  died  away. 

All  this  time  Solomon  had  been  on  deck.     He 
had  come  up  when  the  Antelope  struck,  and  had 


248 


THE   TREASURE  OP  TH3  SEA9. 


worked  away  with  the  rest  in  their  efforts  in  get- 
ting her  off.  Afterwards  he  liad  remained,  out  of 
a  natural  feeling  of  curiosity,  to  see  whether  any 
more  rocks  or  sand-banks  were  to  be  encountered. 
This  danger,  however,  now  seemed  to  have  passed 
away,  and  Solomon  became  mindful  of  the  duties  of 
a  cook.  He  therefore  went  below  to  prepare  the 
evening's  repast. 

Scarcely  had  he  done  so,  than  he  bounded  up 
again  out  of  the  hold  upon  deck.  His  eyes  were 
staring,  his  jaw  dropped,  and  if  his  black  face 
could  have  shown  anything  like  pallor,  it  would 
have  done  so  at  that  moment. 

"  Da-da-da-dars  —  a  —  leak.  Da-da-dars  a  foot  of 
water  down  below !  "  he  gasped. 

At  this  astounding  and  alarming  intelligence  the 
boys  rushed  down  into  the  hold.  Solomon's  infor- 
mation was  right.  Over  the  floor  there  was  as  much 
as  six  inches  of  water,  and  everything  that  lay 
there  was  saturated. 

At  once  the  whole  truth  flashed  upon  them. 
The  Antelope  had  rolled  and  twisted  herself  on  the 
sand-bank  so  much,  that  her  timbers  and  planks 
had  been  opened)  and  a  dangerous  leak  had  been 
established.  It  was  not  a  broken  place,  or  a  hole 
that  could  be  stopped  up,  but  evidently  some 
general  leakage  arising  from  the  strain  to  which 
she  had  been  subjected. 

Tiiis  served,  in  the  opinion  of  all,  to  fill  up  the 
measure  of  their  troubles.     Bad  enough  it  was  to 


TO  THE  PUMPS. 


249 


be  enclosed  in  the  fog;  bad  enough  to  bo  without 
any  knowledge  of  their  sitiintion  ,•  bad  enough  to 
be  in  the  vicinity  of  diingerous  shoals,  and  pcrhiipn 
rocka;  but  in  addition  to  all  this,  to  have  their 
vessel  leaking,  this  indeed  was  a  thing  whicli 
might  well  cause  despair.  And  accordingly  at  the 
first  sight  of  the  water  in  the  hold,  every  one  of 
them  stood  as  if  paralyzed,  and  looked  on  motion- 
less and  in  dead  silence. 

Bart  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 

"  Come,  boys,"  said  he.  "  We've  every  one  of 
lis  been  in  worse  scrapes  than  this.  After  being 
on  a  water-logged  ship,  we  oughtn't  to  care  for  a 
few  inches  of  water.  Let's  go  to  the  pump,  and 
see  if  we  can't  get  rid  of  this." 

Saying  this,  Bart  leaped  up  to  the  deck,  and 
sprang  to  the  pump,  followed  by  all  the  others. 
Only  two  of  them  could  work  at  a  time.  Bart  and 
Phil  worked  away  first,  till  they  were  exhausted. 
Then  Arthur  and  Pat  took  hold,  and  were  relieved 
by  Bruce  and  Tom.  They  worked  vigorously,  and 
with  a  will,  in  all  the  freshness,  too,  of  their  first 
cft'orts.  Every  one  of  them  had  a  confident  expec- 
tation that  this  labor  would  be  successful,  and  that 
a  halfanhonr,  at  the  farthest,  would  be  enough  to 
pump  the  schooner  dry.  But  a  half  hour  passed, 
and  yet  that  result  was  not  accomplished.  There 
was  a  difference  certainly,  but  not  anything  liko 
what  they  had  wished.  Judging  from  the  amount 
of  labor  that  they  had  put  forth  in  this  half  hour, 


250 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


and  the  slight  result,  they  were  filled  with  dismay 
at  the  prospect  before  them. 

"  Well,"  said  Tom,  "  it  ain't  what  we  expected  ; 
but  I  dare  say  we  expected  too  much.  Perhaps 
we  ought  to  be  satisfied  if  we  find  that  we  can 
keep  the  water  under." 

"  But  can  wo  do  it?  "  said  Bruce. 

"  Of  course  we  can.  Haven't  wo  been  doing 
it?" 

"  We  have  —  certainly.  But  how  long  can  wo 
keep  at  this  sort  of  work  ?  Why,  the  pump'll  have 
to  be  kept  going  day  and  night." 

Wade  and  Solomon  now  wen*  to  work  ;  but  their 
efforts  made  no  very  perceptible  diminution  in  the 
water  in  addition  to  what  had  already  taken  place. 

"  I'm  afraid,"  said  Bruce,  "  that  the  leak  gets 
steadily  worse." 

'•Why  so?" 

"Well,  because  Solomon  and  Wade  don't  do 
more  than  any  two  of  us." 

"  0,  they  don't  work  with  such  a  will." 

"  Perhaps  not.  But  in  pumping,  I  dare  say 
steadv  efforts  like  theirs  amount  to  as  much  at  least 
as  our  quick  way  of  working;  and  besides,  they're 
stronger,  and  ought  to  do  more.  I  think  the  leak 
is  worse." 

"  0,  I  don't  believe  it." 

"  Well,  it  took  about  two  hours  for  the  water  to 
come  in  that's  in  her  now.  If  it  had  been  coming 
in  so  slowly  as  that,  we  would  have  pumped  her 


TIIK    LEAK    INCREASING. 


251 


dry  by  this  time.  But  the  fact  is,  the  more  we  pump, 
the  faster  the  water  comes  in.  1  tliink  it  is  work- 
ing its  way  through  new  scams  and  crevices." 

There  was  no  further  reply  to  tliis;  but  not  long 
afterwards,  when  Bruce  and  Tom  liad  puiiipod 
with  unusual  vigor,  they  examined  the  hold  once 
more.  They  found  about  six  inches  of  water.  The 
water  had  gained  therefore.  It  had  come  back  to 
the  amount  which  had  been  there  when  they  first 
began.  These  last  efforts  had  gained  nothing.  In 
spite  of  all  the  water  that  had  been  poured  out 
over  the  side,  the  quantity  below  was  the  same. 
There  was  no  longer  tiie  sliglitest  doubt  that  the 
leak  was  increasing,  and  that,  too,  with  a  rapidity 
that  was  very  alarming.  And  while  the  leak  thus 
gained  power,  their  own  efforts  could  not  possibly 
increase  beyond  what  they  had  already  been,  but, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  would,  on  the  contrary, 
rather  decrease.  And  yet  there  was  nothing  else 
to  be  done  but  to  pump  on,  for  if  they  relinquished 
their  efforts,  they  were  lost.  So  they  kept  at  it, 
taking  turns  as  before,  and  while  any  two  wore  at 
the  pump,  the  others  occupied  themselves  with 
watching  the  water  beneath. 

In  one  of  the  intervals,  Solomon  prepared  the 
evening  meal.  It  was  later  than  usual,  and  any 
other  than  he  would  have  omitted  it  altogether. 
But  Solomon  knew  too  well  its  importance,  and  felt 
that  now  it  was,  perhaps,  of  more  importance  than 
ever.     The  boys  also,  in  the  intervals  which  they 


}: 


252 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


had,  prepared  provisions  for  the  boat.  They  put 
in  oars,  the  boat's  mast  and  sail,  two  kegs  of  water, 
amounting  to  about  twenty  gallons,  a  barrel  of  bis- 
cuit, a  ham,  and  a  few  other  articles.  In  this  way 
they  endeavored  to  prepare  themselves  for  the 
worst,  and  to  have  everything  ready  when  tho 
critical  moment  should  arrive. 

All  this  time  Captain  Corbet  was  mooning  at  the 
helm.  He  occasionally  offered  a  remark,  of  which, 
however,  no  heed  was  taken  by  the  busy  company. 
They  had  something  else  to  do. 

"  Ef  I'd  ony  a  come  straight  along  from  Bo  ting," 
said  he,  on  one  of  those  occasions,  —  "  ef  I  now  at 
this  moment  was  a  navigatin  from  Besting,  I'd  know 
whar  I  be.  For  I  never  know  that  I  ever  did 
lose  my  reckonin  on  one  of  them  thar  vyges.  But 
comin  up  in  this  here  roundabout  circuous  way 
from  them  outlandish  seas,  made  me  kine  o'  git 
everythin  upset  and  jumbled  together  in  my  old 
head.  An  now  where  air  we  ?  'Tis  a  pint  I  long 
to  know.     Blest  if  T  know. 

"  I  should  bo  pleased,"  he  continued,  in  a  medi- 
tative tone,  "  to  find  out  what  course  is  the  best 
for  us  jest  now ;  though  for  that  matter  thar  ain't 
overly  much  wind,  and  I  don't  seem  to  see  how  we 
could  sail  anywhars,  even  ef  we  wanted  to  go,  an 
knowed  jest  the  pint  to  go  to.  But  as  soon's  the 
wind  does  rise,  I  have  an  idee  of  the  course  I'm 
goin  to  take." 

"  What's  that?"  asked  Bart,  who  happened  to  be 


A    DESPERATE  STRUGGLE. 


253 


near  and  hoar  tin's  last  romark.  It  seemed  to  liima 
good  sign"  that  Captain  Corbet  should  have  any 
theory  now  about  his  position. 

"  Wal,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  "  it  kino  o'  seems  to 
me  as  if  the  best  way  would  be  to  head  her  notlie- 
east.  We  can't  head  her  nothe  agin  in  this  fog; 
r'else  we'll  hit  another  rock ;  but  ef  we  keep  her 
nothe-east,  we  may  dodge  the  rocks,  an  letch  up 
somewhars." 

At  this  utterly  vague  and  unsatisfactory  state- 
ment Bart  turned  away,  more  disheartened  than 
ever. 

That  night  the  boys  took  turns  till  about  mid- 
night, when  they  all  turned  in,  leaving  Solomon, 
Wade,  and  the  captain  to  take  turns  punipnig  till 
morning.  The  wind  had  gone  down  almost  alto- 
gether, and  the  sea  was  quite  smooth.  The  water  in 
the  hold  remained  at  about  the  same  level ;  and  when 
the  boys  turned  in,  they  had  a  feeling  of  satisfac- 
tion at  this,  or  they  would  have  had,  if  they  had 
not  been  so  completely  worn  out.  Their  sleeping- 
place  was  not  their  usual  one.  The  water  had 
driven  them  out.  They  brought  their  mattressed 
on  deck,  rolled  themselves  up  in  blankets,  and 
curled  up  there  the  best  way  they  could.  So  they 
passed  the  night. 

On  the  following  day  they  awaked  early.  There 
was  a  moderate  breeze,  and  the  Antelope  was 
making  some  progress  running  before  it.  But  the 
fog  still  continued,  and  environed  them  on  all  sides. 


254 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEAS. 


Of  tliia,  however,  they  took  no  note  just  then. 
Their  first  thought  was  about  the  leak.  Tliey  »aw 
Wade  working  away  at  tlie  pump  in  that  dull,  me- 
chanical fashion  which  distinguished  him  in  every- 
thing  that  he  did.  They  said  nothing  to  him,  but 
at  once  looked  into  the  hold. 

The  sight  that  they  saw  there  confirmed  their 
worst  fears.  The  water  had  increased  during  the 
night,  and  they  saw  at  once  that  either  the  leak 
had  grown  worse,  or  else  that  the  pumping  had 
been  neglected.  Things  did  not  look  well  either 
for  them  or  for  the  Antelope. 

"  We've  all  ben  a  takin  of  our  turn  thro  the 
night,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  who  was,  as  usual,  at 
the  iielm.  ''It  seems  to  be  considerable  of  a  leak. 
But  T  dar  say  we'll  manage  to  keep  it  down.  The 
Antelope  hadn't  ought  to  be  a  leaky  vessel  either. 
I've  alius  took  good  car  of  her.  But  it's  that 
strain  s1;e  got." 

"  Why,  there's  a  foot  of  water,  at  least,"  cried 
Bart,  "over  the  floor.  There  must  be  over  two 
feet  of  water  in  the  hold." 

"  Full  that,"  said  Arthur,  gravely.  "  At  this 
rate  we'll  have  to  take  to  the  boat  before  long." 

'*  O,  thiir's  no  hurry,"  said  Captain  Corbet ;  "  the 
old  Antelope's  dreadful  perseverin,  and  a  tremeu- 
jous  hand  at  keepin  afloat. 


If 


"  Well,"  said  Bruce,  "  I  rather  think  we  may 
fight  olf  the  water  to-day,  at  any  rate,  and  the  fog 
may  lift  before  night." 


BALING   OUT. 


255 


*'  Yes,"  said  Phil,  "  we'd  better  not  take  to  the 
boat  till  the  last  niomeut.  I'd  rather  be  here  tak- 
ing my  turn  at  the  pump,  than  off  in  the  boat,  not 
knowing  where  we  are  or  where  we're  going." 

"  Sure  an  it's  a  pity  there  wasn't  anotlicr  pump," 
said  Pat.  "  We  cud  do  double  the  work,  so  we 
cud.  An  Pd  be  proud  to  take  me  turruu  at  the 
pump  twice  as  often,  so  I  would." 

"  1  tell  you  what,  boys,"  said  Tom.  "  Some  of  ua 
might  bale  out  with  pails,  while  we're  not  pump- 
ing. I  wish  I  could  construct  a  siphon ;  but  I 
suppose  it  couldn't  be  managed  ;  so  let's  bale.  Two 
at  the  pump,  and  the  rest  at  pails.  That  ought  to 
be  equal  to  two  pumps,  at  least." 

"Sure  an  it'll  be  aqual  to  fewer  pumps,  so  it 
will,  if  wo  work  hard  enough." 

This  proposal  was  excellent  in  its  way,  only 
there  was  a  doubt  as  to  whether  they  could  muster 
four  pails.  After  some  search  two  were  found, 
and  Solomon  produced  a  tin  kettle.  This  made 
three.  Pat  then  brought  forth  a  coal  scuttle,  which 
was  well  adapted  for  the  work.  With  these  in- 
creased resources  they  now  set  to  work.  Jump- 
ing down  into  the  hold,  four  of  them  baled  out  the 
water,  and  poured  it  upon  the  deck,  from  which  it 
ran  into  the  sea.  They  worked  at  this  most  zeal- 
ously and  most  industriously  for  two  hours.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  they  were  all  utterly  ex- 
hausted. They  had  taken  turns  at  the  pump  smd 
at  the  pails,  and  the  continuous  work  without  rest 


256 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


had  told  most  severely  upon  them  all.  They  all 
felt  that  this  would  utterly  use  them  up,  if  persisted 
in  much  longer.  At  the  same  time  they  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  a  perceptible  diminution  in 
the  water,  though  by  no  means  as  much  as  they 
had  hoped  to  find  ;  and  they  all  felt  as  though  they 
had  not  received  an  adequate  reward  for  such  ex- 
haustive labors.  They  saw  that  if  they  hoped  to 
continue  at  the  pump,  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
to  give  up  the  baling,  and  rest  until  the  turn  of  each 
should  come.     And  so  the  baling  was  given  up. 

A  hasty  breakfast  was  taken.  Solomon  had  to 
give  up  bis  work  as  cook,  and  take  his  turn  at  the 
pump,  and  therefore  every  one  had  to  forage  for 
himself.  Already,  however,  Solomon  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  remove  the  stores  from  the  hold 
and  cabin  up  to  the  deck,  where  they  would  be  out 
of  the  reach  of  the  water,  at  least  as  long  as  the 
schooner  could  pretend  to  float.  Out  of  these 
stores  each  one  could  now  supply  himself  when- 
ever and  however  he  might  feel  inclined. 

Having  given  up  the  idea  of  baling,  the  boya,  in 
the  intervals  of  taking  turn  at  the  pump,  had  noth- 
ing else  to  do. now  than  to  gather  up  strength  for 
a  new  effort.  While  so  doing,  they  watched  the 
state  of  the  water  in  the  hold ;  or  tried  to  penetrate 
the  veil  of  fog  that  hung  around ;  or  listened,  hoping 
to  hear  some  sound  that  might  tell  of  ships  in  their 
neighborhood.  Sometimes,  also,  they  sounded  on  the 
"  fog-horn  "  of  the  Antelope  —  a  peculiar  tin  trum- 


DEPRESSION. 


257 


pet  with  wliich  every  Down  East  coaster  or  fisher 
is  provided,  and  wliich  makes  the  most  unearthly 
Bound  that  lias  ever  been  contrived  by  man,  not 
even  excepting  the  yell  of  an  astlimatic  steam  whis- 
tle. But  looking,  and  listening,  and  sounding  on 
the  trumpet  were  alike  unavailing,  for  no  eight,  or 
sound,  or  answering  note  of  any  kind  came  to  them 
through  that  wall  of  mist. 

AH  this  was depiessnig.  The fogwas depressing. 
The  fact  that  they  had  lost  their  way  was  depress- 
ing. But  most  of  all,  their  own  exertions  proved 
depressing,  for  those  exertions  seemed  unavailing. 
Still  the  waters  crept  ahead  of  them.  They  were 
not  able  to  hold  their  own.  After  their  vigorous 
and  exhaustive  efforts  at  baling,  the  water,  held  at 
bay  for  a  time,  came  back  to  the  assault,  and  this 
time  it  triumphed  over  the  pump,  and  rose  slowly, 
yet  steadily.  By  the  close  of  the  day  the  water  in 
the  hold  was  enough  to  startle  even  the  phlegmatic 
Wade.  That  personage  had  taken  some  sleep  dur- 
ing the  afternoon,  after  a  long  tug  at  the  pump, 
and  had  snoozed  away  as  calmly  as  an  infant  until 
sunset.  On  waking  he  walked  to  the  hold,  and 
looked  down.  The  sight  was  by  no  means  re- 
assuring. Nearly  two  feet  of  water  rolled  back- 
ward and  forward  at  the  motion  of  the  Ante- 
lope. He  shook  hi-*  phlegmatic,  unexcitable,  un- 
demonstrative head. 

"  My  name's  Wade,"  ho  said,  speaking  as  if  to 
himself.    ''An  my  old  'oman's  name's  Gipson.     An 

If 


258 


THE  TREASURE   OF   THE   SEAS. 


you'll  not  find  many  o'  that  name  in  this  country. 
No,  sir." 

He  took  another  look. 

Again  his  head  gave  a  solemn  and  portentous 
shake. 

Then  he  said  once  more,  — 

"  No,  sir  1 " 

And  tho  pump  went  on. 

And  pump  struggled  with  sea. 

And  tho  sea  gained  1 


A  MISERABLE  NIGHT. 


S59 


XXI. 


A  miserable  Night.  —  No  one  shrinks.  —  Tlieir  Ef- 
forts lessen.  —  Morning  comes.  —  Four  Feet  of 
Water  in  the  Hold.  —  Take  to  the  Boat !  —  Come 
along,  Captain  I  — TJie  Dignity  of  Corbet.  —  The 
Folly  of  Pat.  —  The  Insanity  of  Solomon.  — 
Tlie  Imbecility  of  Wade.  —  The  Perplexity  of  the 
Boys.  —  "  Dat  ar  die  Woman  !  "  —  An  Agony 
of  Impatience.  —  Four  on  board  tempting  Fate. 

^I^IGHT  came  — a  miscrablo  —  miserable  night ! 
\^  On  the  previous  night,  the  boys  had  slept ; 
C^  but  this  night,  sleep  was  not  thought  of 
by  any  one  of  thera.  Exhausted  though  they  all 
were  by  hard  work,  they  yet  felt  the  position  of 
the  Antelope  to  be  too  perilous  to  think  of  sleep. 
It  was  a  time  for  ^vigilance.  It  Avas  a  time  when 
each  one  had  to  keep  himself  wide  awake,  and 
hold  himself  prepared  to  rush  to  the  boat  at  a 
moment's  warning.  The  boat  floated  astern,  aa 
usual,  and  in  it  were  all  the  stores  that  might  be 
necessary  for  a  lengthened  row ;  but  they  wished 
to  postpone  any  recourse  to  this  boat  to  the  latest 
possible  moment.    And  all  the  time  the  Antelope 


2G0 


THE   TREASURE   OF   THE  SEAS, 


i 


held  on  her  course,  impelled  by  a  iliir,  yet  ^lod- 
erate  breeze,  that  blew  directly  astern. 

Exhausted  though  they  were,  yet  none  of  them 
shrunk  from  his  task.  All  took  turns.  Corbet 
and  Wade,  Wade  and  Solomon,  Corbet  and  Sol- 
omon ;  then  the  boys,  two  by  two,  at  the  pump ; 
each  couple  laboring  strenuously  and  conscien- 
tiously, yet  shr  ,/ing  the  same  result.  For,  who- 
ever it  was  that  worked,  or  whatever  was  the 
amount  ot  labor  expended,  the  result  seemed  in 
each  case  a  failure  and  a  defeat.  Thev  wore 
struggling  against  a  common  enemy ;  but  the 
enemy  was  gaining.  In  spite  of  their  efforts,  the 
waters  continued  to  rise,  and  there  was  no  way 
by  which  they  could  bring  any  additional  labor  to 
bear.  Had  there  boon  another  pump,  they  would 
have  been  in  a  better  position.  At  about  mid- 
night they  undertook  a  second  time  to  supple- 
ment the  pumping  with  baling,  but  again  desisted 
on  account  of  the  utter  exhaustion  which  followed 
such  severe  toil.  It  only  lessened  their  power  of 
working  at  the  pump.  So  once  more  they  gave 
it  up. 

From  that  time  on  their  efforts  grew  less  and 
less.  The  long  toil  iiad  told  upon  every  one  of 
them,  more  particularly  upon  the  boys.  The  la- 
bors of  Captain  Corbet,  of  Solomon,  and  of  Wade, 
were  less  vigorous  certainly ;  yet  still,  they  were 
even  and  well  sustained  ;  but  those  of  the  boys 
grew  more  and  more  fitful,  irregular,  and  feeble. 


THEIR   EFFORTS   LESSEN. 


2GI 


Eacli  time  that  any  two  of  them  came  to  take  their 
turn,  they  felt  as  tlioiigh  this  must  bo  the  hist. 
And  so  the  hours  and  the  labors  of  that  dreary 
niglit  dragged  on. 

Morning  came. 

All  the  boys  felt  that  their  capacity  for  work 
was  well  nigh  exhausted.  Morning  came,  and 
brought  the  fog.  No  land  appeared.  No  sliip  was 
in  sight.  They  sounded  a  blast  on  the  fog  horn, 
but  no  reply  came. 

Morning  came,  and  brought,  worse  than  all,  the 
eight  of  four  feet  of  water  in  tlie  Antelope's  hold,  — 
an  amount  so  great  that  further  pumping  was  use- 
less,  and  at  the  best  could  only  delay  for  a  very 
short  time  a  doom  that  was  inevitable. 

Morning  came,  then,  and  brouglit  this  sight ;  and 
the  four  feet  of  water  in  the  Antelope's  hold  at 
once  forced  a  change  in  the  decision  of  those  on 
board. 

They  saw  that  if  they  continued  pumping  they 
might  delay  the  decisive  moment  somewhat,  but 
that  it  must  come ;  and  if  it  came  with  all  of  them 
on  board,  they  must  sink  with  the  sinking  schoon- 
er. And  that  the  end  was  near,  they  could  see. 
There  was  no  time  for  delay.  Already  the  signs 
which  met  their  view  told  them  that  the  end  was 
near. 

Take  to  the  boat ! 

This  was  now  their  thought.  To  the  boat,  — 
before  it  was  too  late  1     On  btiard  the  boat  were 


262 


THE  TREASURE   OF   THE   SEAS. 


all  the  stores  necessary  for  a  protracted  voyage ; 
and  tliey  all  began  to  feel  that  this  boat  was  now 
a  better  place  than  the  sinking  Antelope.  The 
boat  was  a  place  of  rest ;  a  place  more  restricted, 
yet  still,  one  which  promised  comparative  peace 
and  safety.  To  that  boat,  therefore,  they  must  go, 
before  it  was  too  late ;  while  yet  they  could  era- 
bark  in  peace,  and  move  away  from  the  doomed 
Antelope. 

Nor  was  a  resort  to  the  boat  so  hopeless  an  un- 
dertaking as  it  might  a^'pear  to  have  been.  At 
the  worst,  they  were  in  a  part  of  the  world  where 
ships  are  frequent;  and  some  of  them  thought  that 
land  was  near  enough  to  be  seen  in  some  direction 
if  only  the  fog  should  be  dispelled.  The  stores  in 
the  boat  were  sufficient  to  sustain  life  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  and  they  would  bo  free  from  the 
necessity  of  incessant  and  most  exhaustive  labor. 

There  was  now  no  time  for  any  delay  or  any 
hesitation.  They  all  felt  this.  The  sight  of  the 
Antelope's  hold  decided  them. 

They  must  take  to  the  boat. 

"  Come  along,  captain,"  said  Bart.  "  We  mustn't 
stay  any  longer.  The  Antelope'U  go  down  before 
half  an  hour.  If  we  pump  any  longer  we'll  all  bo 
used  up,  and  won't  delay  her  sinking  more  than 
five  minutes.     Come  along." 

"  Goin  doun  I  "  said  Captain  Corbet,  dreamily. 
"Only  think  of  the  Antelope  goin  doun  I  Dear 
me! 


COME  ALONG,  CAPTAIN. 


263 


"Como,  captain,"  said  Bruco,  taking  his  arm. 
"  The  boat's  all  ready." 

"  O,  yes,"  said  tlie  captain  :  "  and  the  Antelope's 
goin  doiin  !     Dear  mo  !     Only  think  of  it !  " 

"  Captain  Corbet,"  said  Arthur,  solemnly,  "  we'ro 
all  ready.     Come,  go  aboard  the  boat." 

"  Well  —  well  —  well,"  said  the  captain.  "  Very 
well.  0,  all  right.  0,  yes.  You  jest  git  into  the 
boat.  Git  along.  Never  mind  me.  I'll  wait 
a  while,  you  know.  You  go  ahead,  I'll  jest  mean- 
der around  here  while  you're  gettia  into  the  boat. 
All  right." 

At  this  the  boys  went  off  to  the  boat,  and 
dropped  in  one  after  the  other.  Bruce,  and  Ar- 
thur, and  Tom,  and  Phil,  and  Buit.  Pat  lingered 
behind.  Those  who  had  got  into  the  boat  expected 
that  the  others  would  follow  at  once,  and  now 
looked  eagerly  towards  them. 

They  were  afloat  astern  ;  and  there,  at  the  stern 
of  the  Antelope,  stood  Captain  Corbet,  surveying 
them  with  a  melancholy  air. 

"  Come  along,  captain,"  said  Bart. 

"  0,  all  right.  Wait  till  the  rest  go,"  said  ho. 
"Tain't  right  for  me  to  clar  out  jest  yet.  Tho 
captain  must  allers  be  the  last  to  quit  the  sinkin 
ship." 

At  this  the  boys  called  to  the  others,  —  to  Pat, 
who  had  lingered  behind,  to  Solomon,  and  to 
Wade. 

Pat  was   standing  by  the  mainmast.    To  their 


I' 
1  <r 


264 


THE  TREASUUE  OP  THE  8K/.8. 


r    I 


Bipazcmont,  they  saw  that  Iio  was  busily  origagoil 
in  binding  himself  to  it  with  ropes. 

"  Pat,"  cried  Bart,  "  why  don't  you  hurry 
up?" 

Pat  made  no  reply,  but  went  on  as  before,  sol- 
emnly and  methodically. 

"  Pat,"  cried  Tom,  "  what  in  the  world  are  you 
waiting  for?     Hurry  up!     What  are  you  doing?" 

"  Sure  it's  tyin  moself  to  the  mast,  I  am,"  said 
Pat. 

"  What,"  cried  Bruce,  "  tying  yourself  to  the 
mast !     What  nonsense  !     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Sure  it's  the  right  thing  to  do,"  said  Pat.  "  It's 
what  they  allers  does,  so  it  is,  whenivor  a  ship 
gits  wracked.  Sure  I  know  ;  and  1  advise  you  to 
do  the  same." 

'*  lie's  tying  himself  to  the  mast  I "  cried  Phil. 
"  He's  mad.  He's  insane.  Some  of  us'll  have  to 
drag  him  on  board." 

"  Pat,"  cried  Bart,  "  come  along.  Are  you  cra- 
zy ?  The  Antelope's  sinking  1  What  do  you 
mean?  Stop  that.  If  you  tie  yourself  to  the 
mast,  you'll  go  down  with  her.  What  nonsense  I 
Drop  that  rope,  and  come  with  us." 

"  Sure  it's  safer  here,"  said  Pat,  calmly,  "  than 
on  that  bit  of  a  boat,  so  it  is." 

"  But  the  Antelope's  sinking." 

"  Sure,  don't  I  know  it  ?     Meself  does." 

"  But  you'll  go  down  in  her,  if  you  do  that." 

"  Arrah,  what  are  you  talking  about?     In  ship- 


!      ! 


THE   INSANITY   OF  SOLOMON. 


265 


cra- 
you 
t\»o 
snse  I 

than 


wracks,  dooan't  everybody  tie  thcmaclves  to  the 
iiiaat?" 

"  What  in  tlio  world  hIjuII  wo  do?"  cried  Vr.irt, 
in  doapair.  "  lie's  crazy.  I  never  saw  anytiiing 
lii^e  it.  lie's  got  a  craze  about  tying  iiimself  to 
the  mast.  Don't  you  remember  how  he  did  the 
very  same  on  board  the  Petrel  ?  " 

**  We'll  have  to  go  and  untie  him,"  said  Bruce. 

"Only  see  how  he's  fastening  and  knotting  the 
rope,"  said  Tom. 

"  We'll  have  to  seize  him,  and  bring  hmi  hero  by 
main  force,"  said  Arthur. 

But  from  these  thoughts  they  wore  now  diverted 
by  the  appearance  of  Solomon.  He  had  been  very 
busy  for  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  was  now 
pulling  away  at  a  rope,  as  though  the  salvation  of 
the  whole  party  depended  upon  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  his  design. 

'^  Solomon,"  cried  Bart,  "  liurry,  hurry  !  Come 
along !  Hurry  I  The  Antelope's  going  down 
fast  1  Hurry,  .and  bring  Pat  along  with  you.  The 
captain's  waiting  till  you  leave  the  Antelope. 
Hurry  1 ' 

"  I'se  jest  a  histin  up  dis  3'er  cookin-stove,"  said 
he.  '*  Ben  tyin  do  ropes  roun  it  ebery  which  way, 
an  jes  got  her  ready  to  be  put  into  de  boat." 

"  The  what !  "  cried  Arthur. 

"  De  cookin-stove,"  said  Solomon,  gravely. 

"  lie's  mad  1 "  cried  Bruce.    **  He's  gone  crazy. 


fl 

ij       :i 


26G 


'-»*' 


II        ;M 


THE  TREASURE   OP   THE  SEAS. 


Pat  and  Solomon  have  both  gone  mad  with  excite- 
ment or  terror." 

"You  jes  gib  a  left  here,  an  help  dis  ole  man 
put  dis  yer  cookin-stovo  aboard  de  boat,  an  den 
you'll  be  all  right." 

"  Solomon  !  Solomon  I  "  cried  Bart,  "  what  hor- 
rible nonsense !  What  do  you  mean  by  talking 
about  putting  a  cooking-stove  on  board  the  boat? 
Come  along.     Be  quick." 

**  Tell  you  what,"  said  Solomon,  "  dis  yer  stove 
am  a  ne=sary  succumstance.  How  you  s'pose  you 
get  you  meals  cooked  ?  Mus  hab  a  cookin-stove. 
Mus  so.  You  got  water  to  bile,  and  things  to 
cook." 

"  Nonsense ; "  cried  Bart.  "  Can't  you  see  that 
it'll  sink  the  boat?" 

"  But  what'U  you  do  ?  "  said  Solomon.  «  You'll 
suffer  if  you  don't  take  it.  You  mus  hab  a  cookin- 
stove.     Mus  so  I  "  • 

At  this  obstinate  persistence  in  such  unaccount- 
able folly  the  boys  were  in  despair.  The  schooner 
was  sinking  lower  and  lower  every  minute,  and 
there  were  those  on  board  of  her,  wasting  precious 
time  and  chattering  nonsense.  What  could  be  the 
meaning  of  this?  Had  terror  deprived  them  of 
their  senses  ?  It  seemed  so.  There  was  Captain 
Corbet,  absorbed  in  his  own  thoughts,  evidently 
quite  forgetful  of  the  present  danger,  and  uncon- 
scious of  the  scene  around  him.  There  was  Wade, 
with   his   heavy   face   gaping  from  the  windlass, 


1. 1 


THE  PERPLEXITY  OP  THE  BOYS. 


267 


wliero  l>o  had  seated  himself.  The^e  was  Pat,  still 
tying  liiinsclf  to  tiio  mast;  and  there  was  Solomon, 
toiling  away  at  the  cooking-stove.  It  was  like  a 
small  floating  lunatic  asylum.  They  might  well 
feel  puzzlv?d  and  bewildered. 

But  suddenly  ore  part  of  this  very  difficult 
problem  was  solved  of  its  own  accord.  Solomon 
Had  not  been  very  careful  in  the  selection  of  his 
hoisting  apparatus.  He  had  picked  up  some  bits 
of  rope,  and  fastened  them  around  the  cooking- 
stove  for  slings,  and  into  this  he  had  passed  the 
hook  from  the  schooner's  tackle.  He  pulled  and 
labored  away,  hoisting  the  heavy  stove,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  raisii  it  about  half  way  above  tlie 
hatches.  A  fe^  more  pulls,  and  it  would  have 
been  on  the  deck.  But  there's  many  a  slip  'twixt 
cup  and  lip  ;  and  so  it  was  destined  to  prove  in 
this  case.  For  at  the  very  moment  when  the  stove 
hung  thus  suspended,  the  slings  suddenly  gave 
way,  and  with  a  rush  the  heavy  mass  descended, 
falling  with  a  loud  crash  to  the  bottom,  and  with  a 
force  that  seemed  SLfficient  to  break  through  tho 
Antelope's  bottom.     There  it  lay  —  a  ruin  ! 

Solomon  stood  and  stared  in  silence  at  the  scene. 
At  length,  drawing  a  long  breath,  ho  raised  his 
head  apd  looked  at  the  boys. 

"  Dar,"  said  he  ;  "  dat  ar's  alius  de  way ;  troubles 
neber  comes  single.  Dis  yor  shows  dat  de  end  am 
come.  Smash  goes  de  cookin-stove,  an  shows  dat 
dis  yer  scursium's  a  goin  to  tumnii  latc  in  clam-ty. 


'in 


!     Ill 


268 


THE   TREASURE   OF   THE   SEAS. 


Dfir  ain't  a  goin  to  bo  no  nioro  eatin  in  (lis  yo.r 
paity  ;  dat's  all  done  up." 

"  Solomon  !  Solomon  !  "  cried  Bart,  "  hurry  up ! " 

"  Solomon  I  Pat  I  Wade  !  Captain  Corbet  I 
Come  !     Quick  !     Hurry  up  !     Quick  !  " 

Such  were  the  cries  that  now  burst  from  those 
in  the  boat.  They  were  floating  close  by  the 
schooner,  so  as  to  be  convenient  for  those  who 
were  yet  on  board.  They  had  seen  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  unfortunate  cooking-stove,  and  were 
now  eager  to  get  away  before  the  schooner  should 
sink.  But  their  patience  was  destined  to  be  still 
further  taxed,  for  Solomon  continued  to  make  ob- 
servations on  the  fallen  stove  ;  and  Pat  went  on 
winding  the  rope  about  himself  and  the  mast;  and 
Wade  sat  motionless  on  the  windlass  ;  and  Captain 
Corbet  stood  in  the  same  attitude  as  before,  —  in 
the  attitude  habitual  with  him,  his  hands  mechan- 
ically grasping  the  tiller,  and  his  mild  eyes  fixed 
before  him,  as  though  he  was  still  steering 
the  Antelope,  and  watching  some  shore  ahead. 
But  before  him  there  was  only  fog ;  and  what 
he  might  have  seen  was  not  visible  to  the  ma- 
terial eye. 

"  No  use,"  said  Solomon.  "  Dese  yer  may  go, 
but  Pse  boun  to  stay.  De  captain  may  go  ;  an 
mas'r  Waae,  he  may  go ;  an  Pat  mus  frow  away 
dem  ropes.  But  for  me,  Pso  goin  to  stick  to  de 
ole  Antelope." 


FOUR  ON  BOARD  TEMPriNG  PATE. 


269 


"  But  she's  sinking,  and  einking  fast,'*  cried 
Bart,  with  feverish  impatienoo. 

"  Dar's  no  odds  to  dis  ole  man.  Ef  I  can't  stick 
to  de  Antelope,  I  don't  want  to  go  no  whars  else. 
Dar's  somebody  a  waitiii  for  me,  an  I  ain't  a  goin 
to  'spose  mysef  to  her,  no  how." 

"  But  you'll  be  drowned  ;  you'll  bo  drowned. 
O,  yoloraon  ! "  cried  Bart,  "  cut  Pat's  ropes,  and 
make  him  come  ;  and  hurry." 

"  Come,  come,  captain.  Make  haste.  Cut  Pat's 
ropes,  Solomon.  Come,  Wade.  The  scliooner'll 
go  down  in  five  minutes  ! " 

•'  Don't  care  !  "  said  Solomon  ;  "  don't  care  a 
mite.  Fse  dreadful  fraid  ob  dat  ar  ole  woman. 
Pd  rader  be  drowned  here  dis  yar  way,  dan  bo 
hammered  to  def  wid  a  red-hot  poker.  Dat's  so  ; 
mind  I  tell  you." 

The  boys  were  now  in  an  agony  of  impatience 
and  anxiety.  The  waters  wore  high  in  the  hold 
of  the  Antelope.  They  could  see,  from  where  they 
stood  in  the  boat,  the  dark  gleam  of  the  rising 
flood,  and  knew  that  any  moment  might  now  wit- 
ness the  last  plunge  of  the  schooner  into  the  depths 
below.  And  so  they  shouted,  and  screamed,  and 
called  upon  every  one  in  succession  of  those  who 
still  so  madly  lingered  behind.  But  their  cries 
were  unheeded  ;  for  those  four  on  the  deck  of  the 
Antelope  made  not  the  slightest  movement  in  re- 
sponse. 

When  the  boys  had  left  the  Antelope,  the  water 


270 


THE  TBEASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


in  her  hold  was  about  four  feet  in  depth.  All  the 
time  since  then  it  had  been  increasing ;  yet,  after 
all,  though  the  time  seemed  long  to  the  anxious 
boys,  not  over  a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  elapsed  in 
reality. 


RISE   OP  THE   WATERS. 


271 


XXTI. 


J  - 


The  Waters  rise.  —  The  Boys  try  Force.  —  Attack 
on  Pat.  —  He  is  overpowered.  —  My  Narne^s 
Wade.  —  An  Irish  IIoivl.  —  Solomon  immovable. 
—  The  Ancient  Mariner  at  his  Post.  —  The  Boys 
fly.  —  Flight  of  Solomon.  —  "Dreffal  Times."  — 
Captain  Corbet  sings  his  Death  Song.  —  A  Rhap- 
sody on  the  ArUelope.  —  The  rising  Waters.  — 
The  doomed  Schooner.  —  The  rolling  Seas.  —  The 
Antelope  sinking.  —  The  Form  of  Corbet  slowly 
disappearing  beneath  the  raging  Seas. 


>HE  waters  cbntiniied  to  rise  in  the  hold  of 
the  Antelope,  and  inch  by  inch  the  doomed 
schooner  settled  slowly  down  into  the  deptlis 
beneath.  On  the  deck  stood  those  four  who  still* 
held  aloof  from  the  boat,  and  seemed  to  bo  animated 
by  some  insane  or  unintellifj^iblo  motive.  By  the 
side  of  the  schooner  floated  tlio  boat,  in  which  wore 
Bruce,  Arthur,  Tom,  Phil,  and  Bart.  They  Win'o 
all  standing  up,  and  holding  the  Antelope's  rail, 
and  shouting,  bawling,  yelling,  entreating,  llireat- 
ening,  and  using  every  possible  means  to  save  their 
unfortunate  companions. 


^0gifiS33SSSttBttA 


ma 


I  . 


nil 


ii 


ills' 


I  i 


272 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


Suddenly  Bart  drew  his  knife. 

"  Boys  !  "  said  he,  "  we'll  have  to  drap:  them  off. 
Bruce  and  Arthur,  come  along.  Tom  and  Phil,  you 
mind  the  boat." 

With  these  words  he  jumped  on  board  the  A  nto- 
lope,  with  his  open  knife  in  his  hand.  Bruce  and 
Arthur  leaped  on  board  after  him. 

The  sight  of  Bart,  with  his  open  knife,  thus 
bounding  on  board  the  Antelope,  astonished  the 
other  boys,  who  began  to  think  that  Bart,  like  the 
others,  had  also  lost  his  senses;  but  they  did  as 
he  said  —  Tom  and  Phil  holding  the  boat  to  the 
side  of  the  Antelope,  and  watching,  while  Bruce 
and  Arthur  followed  Bart. 

Bart  first  rushed  to  Pat. 

"  We're  not  going  to  stand  this.  You're  ruin- 
ing us  all.  If  you  don't  go  aboard  the  boat,  we'll 
throw  you  overboard,  and  you'll  be  glad  to  do  it 
then.  Bruce  and  Arthur,  catch  hold,  and  pitch  Pat 
overboard  if  ho  don't  go  to  tlie  boat." 

Sp(3aking  th(  ;  words  with  breathless  rapidity, 
Bart  cut  the  rope  with  whicli  Pat  had  bound  him- 
self, giving  long  slashes  up  and  down.  Bruce  and 
Arthur  seized  him  at  the  same  moment,  and  as  soon 
as  the  rope  was  sovored,  drap:god  him  to  where  the 
boat  was,  ordering  him  on  board,  and  tlircatening 
to  throw  him  into  the  water  if  lie  refused.  Pat 
was  powerless.  A  few  words  of  remonstrance 
were  ofierod,  but  ho  was  sternlv  silenced.  He  was 
thus  overpowered,  and  so,  yielding  to  necessity,  ho 


MY   name's  wade. 


273 


iility, 
liim- 

BOOll 

•e  t\io 

Vat 
ranee 
0  was 
-ty,  lio 


got  on  board  the  boat.  There  he  seated  hin^self 
in  the  stern,  and,  bowing  his  head,  began  a  l«)ng, 
low,  wailing  Irish  "  keen,"  which  is  a  species  ol' 
Iafneiitatii)n  in  the  presence  of  death. 

Tliis  scene  appeared  to  produce  some  effoct  upon 
Wade.  It  roused  him  from  his  lethargy.  It 
seemed  as  though  tliis  man  was  a  mere  machine ; 
and  though  in  ordinary  circumstances  lie  was  able 
of  going  through  certain  routine  duties,  in  any  ex- 
traordinary case  he  was  utterly  helpless,  and  hia 
dull  and  inert  nature  became  hopelessly  imbecile. 
But  now  an  idea  of  his  situation  seemed  at  last  to 
have  penetrated  to  his  brain,  and  accordingly, 
rising  to  his  feet,  he  wont  to  the  boat.  Then  he 
slowly  and  solemnly  passed  over  the  Antelope's 
side,  and  took  his  seat  near  Pat.  He  KK)kcd  at  the 
others  with  a  dull  stare,  and  then  turning  to  Pat, 
he  remarked,  in  a  low,  confidential  tone, 

"  My  name's  Wade,  an  my  ole  'oman's  name's 
Gi[)son;  an  you'll  not  find  many  o'  that  name  in 
this  country.     No,  sir." 

After  which  he  heaved  a  sigh,  and  relapsed  into 
himself.  As  to  Put,  ho  took  no  notice  of  this  con- 
fidence imparted  to  him,  but  went  on  with  his  Irish 
lamentation. 

*' Ow  —  ()-o-<M)-o\v- -to  only  think — this  bit  ov 
a  boat  sure — an  in  the  wide  an  impty  say  —  an 
me  a  bindin  mescU'to  the  only  safety;  for  the  ship- 
wraeked  saynian  nnist  always  l)ind  himsilf  to  a 
iiKist.  And,  ()-o-o-o-t)-o-o-w,  but  it  wasa  bilter,  eioul 
IS 


1  1 

1  1 

i 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEA9. 


274  . 

I,  Jt  -  to  «ail  over  the  »"f  5"^^^^^.o.o^w  1  but 
,if„ge-vvhere  -f"!  ^^^^1,  me  heart  1" 
it-s  the  croolty  ov  .t  »'»''  ^^  f;,!^,,;,,,  the  boys  had 
The  Buramary  treatment  ^v'tb  ^v'  ,^^„„_ 

disposed  of  P*';7rrTl.ey  tried  to  coa.  these, 
or  to  Captain  Corbet.     Ihcy  v 

and  persuade  them.  ,,„,„,„ 

Solmon,  however,  was  obdurate.  ^^,^ 

..  My  'vice  to  you,  boys,  an  you  ^^.^ 

Bart,''said  he, "is  to  clar  out    b  d;>^__^  ^^  ^^ 
schoouer.ef  yer  donwant  to^,:t^_^^^,^  ^^^^^ 

wustest  sort.      fcl^^^^s  a  b 

believe -dat'9  ^«''  ,ve  can't  wait.  You're 

.  O,  come,  come  Solomor^^^       ^^.^  ^^^^^^  .^p^^^. 

making  us  ^^^^l^^ J      ^^^^a  coax  an  insane  man 
ingly,  coaxing  bim  as  ^e  ^^^^  .ehoonor'U 

"  Come  along ',  don  t  ^eep  ^.^      j^r- 

Bink  and  drag  the  boat  down,  It  we 

ther  away."  ^^i^^on     "  Couldn't,  darsn't  — 

"Darsn't,"  said  Solomon. 

no  how." 

..  0,  come."  ,    ,,,„„an,  wid  de 

..  Darsn't  -  fe.d  "^  f  J J^^  ,«,  „n  de  red-hot 
broomstick,  de  tongs  de  f^";^^  _!  ^  does,  dread- 
gridiron.    Tell  you  what,  it  stmfcs 

M  _ it  does  so- "  ^^^^^^,,^ y„„.    Never  '^ 

"O.come.   fel"'^"'^  .  ,.,r  dut  ar  staten.cnt? 
"Who's  to  go  skowiuj 


ill  i 


THE   ANCIENT   MAUINER   AT   HIS   POST. 


275 


t 

it 

1(1 

ni, 
se, 


as'r 
ikin 
)  do 
)etta 

pu'ro 
iplor- 
iiian. 
►ncr'U 
)p  t'ar- 

iu't  — 


vid  de 
red-bot 
dread- 


Nobody  can  skewer  her.  No.  Better  bo  drown- 
ded,  dan  walloped  to  def  with  liuy-forks.  Nobody 
can  skewer  dat  ar  ole  woman,  dough ;  gracious 
sakeS;  she  knows  how  to  skewer  me  ebery  time 
she  lay  hand  on  a  pitchfork  or  a  meat-skewer. 
Yah,  yah,  yah  ! " 

At  this  ill-timed  levity  Bart  and  the  others  turned 
away  in  despair  and  disgust. 

Thev  hurried  aft. 

There  stood  the  venerable  Corbet.  As  they 
drew  near  he  gave  a  start,  and  a  smile  came  over 
his  reverend  countenance. 

"  Wal,  boys,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  of  kindly  wel- 
come, "how  d'ye  do?    Pleased  to  see  you." 

He  spoke  precisely  as  if  ho  was  receiving  a  call 
from  some  favorite  guests.  The  tone  pained  the 
boys,  and  distressed  them  greatly. 

"  Captain,"  said  Bruce,  hurriedly,  **  the  Ante- 
lope's sinking.  A  moment  more  and  you'll  be  lost. 
Come  with  us  in  the  boat.     Come." 

And,  laying  his  hand  on  the  captain's  arm,  he 
sought  to  drag  him  away. 

But  the  captain  quietly  though  firmly,  disen- 
gaged himself. 

"  Excuse  me,  young  sir,"  said  the  venerable  nav- 
igator, very  politely  ;  "  but  I'm  captain  of  this  here 
craft ;  an,  being  sich,  I  ain't  got  no  call  to  leave 
her  till  the  last  man.  You  git  to  your  boat,  an  I'll 
retire  when  the  time  comes." 

The  captain  spoke  with  dignity,     lie  announced 


276 


THE   TREASURE   OP   THE  SEAS. 


a  priiioiplo  wliicli  involves  tlio  highest  duty  of 
every  coininunder  of*  u  sliip,  and  the  boys  knew  it. 
His  dignity  overawed  them. 

"  But  come  now,  captain,''  said  Bart,  "  there 
isn't  a  moment  to  lose." 

"  I  ain't  a  goin  ever  to  hev  it  written  on  my 
tume,"  said  the  captain,  in  a  cahn  voice,  "  that 
me  —  Captain  Corbet  —  ever  desarted  his  post,  or 
forgot  his  umble  dooty  as  commander  of  a  vessel. 
No,  tiie  Antelope'll  see  that  lier  captain's  jist  as 
much  principle  an  ho"or  as  any  of  them  swell  nav- 
igators that  sail  in  clipper  ships  over  the  boosom 
of  the  briny  deep." 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  long-drawn,  bub- 
bling, gurgling  sound,  that  came  up  from  the  hold  of 
the  Antelope,  and  startled  the  boys  exceedingly. 

"  Come,  come,  captain,"  cried  Bruce.  "  She's 
sinking  now.     There  isn't  a  moment  to  spare." 

"  Wal,  boys,  j'ou  jist  hurry  off'  into  that  thar 
boat,  an  don't  mind  me.  I  know  my  dooty.  You 
can't  expect  me  to  leave  this  iiere  deck  till  the  last 
man.     It  don't  signify  argufy  in.     Hurry  off." 

At  this  moment  there  was  another  sound ;  some- 
thing between  a  gasp  and  a  gurgle.  It  seemed 
like  the  death-rattle  of  the  Antelope. 

"  She's  going  down,  boys ! "  cried  Bart. 

Involuntarily  they  retreated  towards  the  boat. 
But  here  they  paused  yet  again,  for  there  was  a 
brief  respite,  and  the  Antelope  was  yet  afloat. 

"  Won't  you  come,  captain  ?  "  cried  Bart. 


THE   BOYS   PLY. 


M    I     « 


"  O,  all  right,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  waving  hid 
hand ;  "  all  right.  You  jest  get  aboard  tho  boat. 
Don't  you  mind  me.  Uomonibor,  I'm  tho  captain, 
an  I'vo  got  to  bo  tiio  last  man." 

This  seemed  to  tiio  boya  like  a  promise  to  follow 
them. 

"  Come  along,  boys,"  said  Bart.  "  He'll  get  into 
tho  boat  if  wo  do.     Ho  wants  to  bo  last." 

Saying  this,  the  three  boys  clambered  over  tho 
Antelope's  side,  and  it  was  with  a  feeling  of  relief 
that  they  found  themselves  once  more  in  tho  boat. 

**  Now,  captain,"  cried  Bruco,  "  hurry  up.  Come, 
Solomon.  Captain,  make  Solomon  come  on  board, 
and  then  you'll  bo  the  last  man." 

Captain  Corbet  smiled,  and  made  no  reply.  As 
for  Solomon,  he  merely  muttered  something  about 
"  dat  ar  olo  woman  "  and  "  gridiron." 

Tho  Antelope  was  low  in  the  water.  Tho  deck 
was  near  the  level  of  tho  sea.  Instinctively,  Tom, 
who  was  holding  the  rail,  pushed  away,  and  the 
boat  moved  off  a  little  distance.  Yet  they  could 
not  leave  those  two  infatuated  men  to  their  fate, 
though  tho  instinct  of  self  preservation  made  them 
tlius  move  away  slightly. 

"  Captain  !  Solomon  !  Captain  !  Solomon  !  Make 
haste  !  0,  make  haste  1 "  Such  were  the  cries 
that  now  came  from  those  in  the  i»oat. 

Captain  Corbet  smiled  as  before,  and  nodded, 
and  said, — 

"  0,  it's  all  right ;  all  T,ight.  Don't  mind  me. 
I'm  all  right.    1  know  what  I'm  about." 


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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corpcjration 


23  WIST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  )45a0 

(716)872-4903 


^'^* 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


At  this  the  Antelope  gave  a  very  unpleasant 
roll,  and  settled  heavily  on  one  side ;  then  her 
bows  sank  down,  and  a  big  wave  rolled  over  it. 

"She's  sinking!"  cried  Toin,  in  a  voice  of  hor- 
ror. The  other  boys  were  silent.  They  seemed 
petrified.' 

But  the  Antelope  'struggled  up,  and  gradually 
righted  herself.  Her  deck  was  nearer  the  level 
of  the  sea  than  ever.  This  last  incident,  however, 
had  been  sufficient  to  phake  the  nerves  of  one  of 
those  two  on  board.  As  she  settled  on  one  side, 
Solomon  sprang  back,  and,  as  the  wave  rolled  over 
her  bows,  ho  gave  one  jump  over  the  side  and  into 
the  sea.  He  sank  under,  but  a  moment  aftjjrwards 
his  woolly  head  emerged,  and  he  struck  out  for  the 
boat.  There  a  dozen  arms  were  outstretched  to 
save  him,  and  ho  was  finally  hauled  in. 

"  DreflFul  times  dese,"  said  he,  as  his  teeth  chat- 
'  tered,  either  from  terror  or  from  cold.  "  Drefful 
times.  Didn't  'gage  in  dis  yer  vessel  to  go  swim- 
min  about  de  Atlantic  Oceum.  Queer  nay  to  servo 
as  cook  —  dis  yer  way.  An  dar  ain't  a  dry  stitch 
ob  clothin  about  —  dat's  so ;  an  what  ebber  I'se  a 
goin  to  do  beats  me.  S'pose  I'se  got  to  .et  here 
an  shibber  de  next  tree  v/eeks.  Catch  me  ebber 
a  'barkin  aboard  sich  a  schooner  as  dis  yer.  Any 
ways,  I  ain't  goin  to  sail  in  dis  yer  Antelope  agin. 
Cotcli  me  at  it  —  dat's  a!!." 

But  the  boys  heard  nothing  of  this. 

All  their  attention  was  now  taken  up  with  Cap- 
tain Corbet. 


30RBET'8   death  SONG. 


279 


itch 


He  stood  at  the  stern  at  his  usTial  post,  holding 
the  tiller  with  both  hands.     He  looked  at  the  boys. 

"  Boys,"  said  he,  "  I'm  the  last  aboard." 

"  O,  Captain  Corbet  1  Come,  come.  Make  haste  I " 
they  cried. 

He  sliook  his  venerable  head. 

"  This  here,"  said  he,  "  boys,  air  the  act  an  the 
doin  of  Fate.  I  did  hope  that  the  Antelope  an 
me'd  gro\y  old,  an  finally  die  together,  though  not 
on  the  briny  deep.  It  hev  alius  ben  a  favorite  idee 
to  me,  that  the  lives  of  both  of  us,  me  and  the 
Antelope,  was  kino  o'  intermingled,  an  that  as  we'd 
ben  lovely  an  pleasant  in  our  lives,  in  death  we'd 
be  not  divided.  For  the  Antelope  an  me's  knowed 
each  other  long,  an  lived,  an  ben  happy  together, 
in  fair  weather  an  foul.  The  Antelope's  alius  ben 
faithful  and  terew.  She's  had  all  my  confidences. 
She's  alius  been  gentle  an  kind,  and  you'll  never, 
never  find  a  better  friend  than  the  old  Antelope. 
Many's  the  time  she's  bore  me  through  sleet  an 
snow.  Many's  the  time  she's  borne  me  through 
fog  an  rain.  Many's  the  time  she's  bore  me  past 
rocks  an  reefs.  So  long  as  I  stuck  to  old  Fundy, 
so  long  the  Antelope  was  safe  an  sound.  I  used 
to  boast  as  to  how  I  could  navigate  old  Fundy.  I 
was  wrong.  'Twan't  me ;  it  was  the  Antelope  that 
navigated ;  for  I  never  had  a  sexton  aboard,  nor  a 
quadruped,  nor  a  spy-glass,  nor  any  of  them  new- 
fangled gimcra'^^is,  savin  an  except  a  real  old-fash- 
ioned, apostolic  compass,  as  is  mentioned  by  Paul 


!   < 


280 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


in  the  Acts.  And  why  ?  Why,  cos  the  Antelope 
was  alius  able  to  feel  her  own  way  through  rain  nn 
fog.  an  frost  an  snow  —  past  shoals,  au  flats,  an 
reefs,  an  was  alius  liaithful.  But,  in  a  evil  hour,  I 
took  her  out  of  her  native  waters.  I  led  her  afar 
over  the  deep  blue  sea,  up  to  tho  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence. There  our  woes  began.  But  even  there 
tho  Antelope  was  terew  an  tender;  But  it  was  too 
much.  Wo  com©  back.  She  had  never  ben  thar 
before.  She  lost  her  way.  Then  she  found  it. 
We  got  to  Sable  Island  an  Chester.  Then  we  put 
out  agin.  An  then  agin  she  lost  her  way.  It  was 
my  fault,  not  hern.  Sho  lost  her  way  in  this  iog, 
an  sho  went  aground.  Sho  couldn't  help  it.  In 
Fundy  she  never  ran  aground,  'cept  when  nessary  ; 
B,n  it  was  me  that  brought  her  to  this.  An  now 
what  hev  I  got  to  do?  I've  got  this  to  do  —  that 
if  I've  led  my  Antelope  to  ruin,  I  won't  survive 
her.  No.  We've  been  lovely  an  pleasant  in  our 
lives,  an  in  death  we  ain't  goin  to  be  divided." 

The  boys  did  not  hear  one  half  of  this,  but 
interrupted  tho  speaker  constantly  with  their  en- 
treaties that  he  would  save  himself.  Captain  Cor- 
bet, however,  was  too  much  taken  up  with  his  own 
thoughts  to  notice  what  they  said.  Ho  was  like 
one  who  soliloquizes. 

"  O,  captain  I "  cried  Bart,  with  a  final  effort ; 
"think  of  your  wifo  —  think  of  your,  your,  a— ^ 
baby  —  " 

"  My  babby  I "  said  Captain  Corbet.  "  My  babby ! 


A  RHAPSODY  ON  THE  ANTELOPE. 


281 


Ah,  youn}^  sir,  when  you  mention  my  babby,  you 
don't  know  that  you  tetch  a  cord  in  this  parentnal 
heart  that  throbs  responsive.  That  thar  is  the 
strongest  emotion  that  inspires  tliis  aged  breast ; 
but,  yonng  sir,  dooty  air  powerfiiller  tlian  lovo,  an 
even  that  pe-recious  infant  has  less  chiims  on  mo  at 
this  moment  than  my  Antelope.  For  my  Antelope 
has  ben  the  friend  that's  ben  faithful  in  thousand 
perls  ;  that's  ben  my  refuge  an  my  solace  in  times  of 
persecution.  Yes,  yonng  sirs,  in  the  days  when  a 
bold  an  violent  woman  disturbed  my  peace,  by  dash- 
in  a  pail  full  of  cold  water  over  my  head  —  at  such 
times  the  Antelope  hav  took  me  to  her  heart;  an 
cfin  I  ever  cease  to  be  affectionate  an  kind  to  thee, 
who's  ben  so  terewly  kind  to  mo  —  my  Antelope  ? 
No,  no ;  young  sirs.  Go,  an  tell  my  beloved  one  — 
my  offspring  —  my  inspired  babby  —  that  his  par- 
ent, the  aged  Corbet,  died  a  marchure's  death  ; 
died  like  a  hero,  a  standin'  at  his  post ;  which  post 
was  the  rudder-post  of  the  Antelope.  Tell  him 
that;  an  tell  him,  tew,  that,  though  dooty  bound 
the  feyther  to  the  Antelope,  yet  still  that  feyther's 
last  thoughts  was  of  his  belessed  babe." 

At  this  point  the  Antelope  gave  another  larch, 
and  rolled  far  over.  Captain  Corbet  stopped  ab- 
ruptly, and  stiffened  his  sinewt^,  and  clutched  the 
tiller  with  a  tighter  grasp.  The  boys  looked  on 
with  horror  in  their  faces  and  in  their  hearts. 

It  was  a  moment  of  awful  expectation. 

They  had  cried,  and  bawled,  and  yelled  till  they 


111! 


II 


ill 
illlllli 


282 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEA8. 


were   hoarse.     They   had   prayed  and  entreated 
Captain  Corbet  to  save  himself.     All  in  vain. 

But  now  the  time  for  entreaty  Lad  passed. 

Suddenly  the  Antelope  rolled  back,  and  then  her 
bows  sank.  A  huge  wave  rolled  over  her,  followed 
by  others,  which  foamed  from  bow  to  stern.  Then 
all  the  sea  settled  itself  over  the  sinking  schooner. 

The  Antelope  was  going  down  ! 

The  hull  disappeared  ! 

The  rail  sank  under  water  ! 

But  Captain  Corbet  stood  at  his  post,  erect, 
rigid,  his  hands  clasping  the  tiller.  Beneath  him 
the  Antelope  sank  down  into  the  sea.  Around 
him  the  waters  rolled. 

They  rolled  about  his  knees ;  about  his  thighs ; 
about  his  waist.  His  venerable  hair  fluttered  in 
the  breeze ;  his  eyes  were  fixed,  with  a  rapt  and 
abstracted  air,  on  vacancy. 

The  boys  looked  on  in  horror.  Instinctively 
they  pushed  the  boat  back  out  of  the  reach  of  the 
waters  that  ingulfed  the  Antelope,  so  as  to  avoid 
being  carried  down  into  that  vortex. 

The  waters  rolled  about  the  form  of  the  aged 
navigator,  and  so  he  descended  with  his  beloved 
Antelope,  till  they  were  above  his  waist. 

The  boys  could  no  longer  cry  to  him.  They 
were  petrified  with  horror.  They  sat,  with  white 
faces,  awaiting  the  end. 


PALLID   FACES. 


283 


XXIII. 


Watching  with  pallid  Faces.  —  The  Torso  of  Corbet. 
—  A  sudden  and  unaccountable  Break  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings. —  Great  Reaction.  —  Unpleasant  Dis- 
covery.—  Pat  and  the  salt  Water,  —  Tlie  Rheu- 
matiz  and  kindred  Diseases.  —  Where  to  go.  — 
Where  are  we  ?  —  Sable  Island.  —  Anticosti,  Ber- 
muda,  Jamaica,  Newfoundland,  Cape  Cod,  or 
Owld  Ireland.  —  A  laud  Breeze.  —  Sounding  for 
the  Land.  —  Land  ahead. 


PAINFUL  thing  it  was  to  see  the  Antelope 
thus  sinking  into  tlie  sea  ;  to  view  the  waters 
thus  rolling  over  her  familiar  form  from 
bows  to  stern ;  to  see  the  boiling  foam  of  the  in- 
gulfing billows ;  but  how  much  more  terrible  it 
was  to  see  the  sacrifice  of  a  human  life  ;  the  volun- 
tary self-destruction  of  a  ?>uman  being,  and  of  one, 
too,  who  had  been  their  guide,  their  revered  and 
beloved  friend  1  They  had  no  cause  for  self-re- 
proach. They  had  done  all  that  they  could.'  His 
own  will  had  brought  him  to  this.  Still  the  specta- 
cle was  no  less  terrible  to  all  of  them,  and  there 
was  no  less  anguish  in  their  souls  as  they  saw  him, 


284 


THE   TiilEASURE   OP   THE   SEAS. 


ii-t 


Hi, 


—  the  meek,  the  f^entle,  the  venerable  Corbet,  -7- 
thua  descending,  by  his  own  free  will,  and  by  his 
own  act,  into  the  dark  abyss  of  this  unknown  sea. 

And  so  they  watched  with  pallid  faces,  and  with 
angonized  hearts  for  the  end. 

The  ancient  mariner  sank  down,  as  has  been 
said,  with  his  sinking  schooner,  and  his  feet  were 
overwhelmed  by  the  rushing  flood,  and  his  ankles, 
and  his  knees,  and  his  thighs,  and  at  length  ho 
stood  there  with  the  waters  about  his  waist,  and 
his  mild  eyes  fixed  upon  vacancy. 

Another  moment,  and  they  expected  to  see 
that  venerable  and  beloved  form  disappear  forever 
from  their  gaze. 

But  that  venerable  form  did  not,  in  fact,  disap- 
pear. 

That  venerable  form  remained  stationary,  —  the 
waters  reaching  as  far  as  the  waist :  thus  far,  but  no 
farther.  The  lower  half  had  disappeared  beneath 
the  sea,  but  the  upper  half  still  remained  to  bless 
and  cheer  their  eyes.  Corbet  still  lived  !  But  it 
was  what  an  artist  might  call  a  Torso  of  Corbet. 

Corbet  thus  had  sunk  into  the  unfathomable 
depth  of  ocean  up  to  his  waist,  but  after  that  he 
sank  no  more.  Higher  than  that  the  waters  did 
not  rise.  He  stood  in  that  rigid  attitude  already 
described,  grasping  the  tiller,  and  thus  steadying 
himself,  —  upright,  firm  as  a  rock,  and  so  he  stood 
after  the  waters  had  risen  to  hi*  waist. 

The  hull  of  the  Antelope  had  disappeared.    But 


t,-r 
his 
lea. 
with 

been 
were 
iklea, 
th  he 
t,  and 

)    see 
jrever 

disap- 

,  — the 
,  but  no 
jeneath 
;o  bless 

But  it 
irbet. 
liomable 

that  he 
,ters  did 

already 
teadying 
be  stood 

ed.    But 


ri 


11 


A   BREAK   IN  THE  PROCEEDINGS. 


285 


still  her  masts  and  rigging  rose  above  the  waters, 
and  above  the  head  of  Corbet,  and  tiiese  sank  no 
farther,  but  remained  at  the  same  Iieigiit  above  the 
sea. 

Astonishment  seized  upon  all  ex  them,  Corbet 
included.  What  was  it  that  had  caused  this  won- 
der? Was  it  because  the  hull  was  too  buoyant  to 
sink  any  farther  ?  Was  it  because  there  was  still 
some  air  left  inside  the  hull  which  prevented  the 
schooner  from  sinking  altogether?  This  they 
might  have  thought  had  they  not  been  made  wiser 
tlirough  their  recent  experiences.  By  these  they 
now  knew  that  on  these  seas  there  were  sand 
banks  and  shoals ;  and,  therefore,  what  was  more 
natural  than  that,  the  Antelope  had  sunk  in  some 
place  where  there  happened  to  be,  just  beneath 
her,  a  convenient  shoal  which  had  received  her 
sinking  hull?  It  was  certainly  a  very  curious  sea, 
—  a  sea  which  seemed  to  abound  in  such  shoals  aa 
these ;  but  whatever  might  be  the  character  of 
that  sea,  this  fact  remained,  tliat  the  Antelope  had 
sunk  in  less  than  a  couple  of  fathoms  of  water. 

And  so  it  was  that  the  heroic  and  devoted  re- 
solve of  the  venerable  and  high-minded  captain 
was  baffled,  and  his  descent  into  the  depths  of  the 
ocean  was  arrested.  For  there  lay  the  Antelope, 
resting  upon  some  place  not  far  beneath  the  sea, 
with  her  masts  still  high  above  water,  and  with  the 
person  of  her  gifted  cominander  half  submerged 
and   half  exposed  to  view ;  uud  there  stood  that 


■m. 


286 


THE  tueasuhe  of  the  seas. 


'! 


Ill 


!I 


venerable  commander  up  to  his  waist  in  wai  jr,  but 
unable  to  descend  any  farther ;  a  singular,  m  won- 
derful, an  unparalleled  spectacle;  unaccountable 
altogether  to  those  whose  eyes  were  fae.  led 
upon  it. 

But  the  thought  of  a  shoal  or  sand  bank  soon 
came,  and  so  they  began  to  understand  the  state 
of  affairs.  The  Antelope  had  sunk,  not  into  an  un- 
fathomable abyss  in  mid-ocean,  but  upon  some  sand 
bank,  '"here  or  what  that  sand-bank  might  be,  they 
did  not  then  take  time  to  consider.  Whether  it  was 
some  part  of  one  of  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland, 
or  the  slowly  declining  shore  around  Sable  Island, 
or  some  other  far  different  and  far  removed  place, 
did  not  at  that  time  enter  into  the  sphere  of  their 
calculations.  Enough  it  was  for  them  that  the  ter- 
ror had  passed ;  that  the  grim  spectacle  of  death 
and  destruction  before  their  very  eyes  had  been 
averted  ;  that  Corbet  was  saved. 

Till  this  moment  they  had  not  been  aware  of  the 
greatness  of  their  anguish.  But  now  the  reaction 
from  that  anguish  made  them  acquainted  with  its  in- 
tensity, and  in  proportion  to  their  late  sufferings  was 
now  their  joy  and  rejoicing.  At  the  first  movement 
of  the  Antelope  towards  a  descent  into  the  sea, 
they  had  instinctively  and  very  naturally  moved 
their  boat  farther  away,  so  as  to  avoid  being  sharers 
of  the  fate  which  Captain  Corbet  seemed  to  desire ; 
but  now,  after  the  first  danger  was  over,  and  the 
first  emotions  of  amazement  and  wonder  had  sub- 


THE  JOY   OP  THE   BOYS. 


sided,  they  rowed  nearer.  They  believed  that  now 
Captain  Corbet  would  listen  to  reason,  and  that, 
having  done  so  much  in  obedience  to  the  call  of 
duty,  he  would  be  willing  to  save  himself. 

And  now,  as  they  rowed  nearer,  the  boat  floated 
over  the  rail  of  the  sunken  scliooner,  and  came 
close  up  to  the  half-submerged  commander. 

"  Come,  captain,"  said  Bart,  in  a  voice  that  waa 
yet  tremulous  with  exciteirnt,"  jump  in.  There's 
plenty  of  room.  You  —  yoa  —  don't  —  don't  want 
to  be  standing  in  tho  water  this  way  any  longer, 
of  course." 

To  this  remark  Captain  Corbet  made  no  reply  in 
words,  but  he  did  make  a  reply  in  acts,  whijh  were 
far  more  eloquent.  He  seized  the  side  of  the  boat 
at  once,  and  scrambling  in,  sank  down,  wet  and 
shivering,  in  the  stern,  alongside  of  tliose  other  ob- 
stinate and  contumacious  ones  —  Pat,  Wade,  and 
Solo.uon.  And  so  it  was  that  at  last,  after  so  much 
trouble,  those  four,  who  had  at  first  been  so  un- 
manageable, now  were  assembled  on  board  the 
boat  into  which  they  had  once  reiused  to  enter. 

The  delight  of  the  boys  was  as  great  as  their  grief 
had  been  a  short  time  before,  and  no  other  thought 
came  into  their  minds  than  that  of  the  happy  end 
that  had  occurred  to  a  scene  that  had  promised 
such  disaster.  The  fact  that  their  situation  waa 
one  of  doubt  and  uncertainty,  perhaps  peril,  did 
not  just  then  occur  to  tliem.  It  was  enough  joy 
for  them  that  Captain  Corbet  had  been  snatched 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  SEA8. 


i¥. 


from  a  watery  grave  ;  and  so  they  now  Burrounded 
him  with  careful  attention.  Bruce  offered  him  a 
biscuit ;  Bart  asked  about  his  health  ;  Tom  urged 
him  to  wring  out  the  water  from  his  trousers; 
and  Phil,  who  was  next  to  him  in  the  boat,  fearing 
that  he  might  feel  faint,  pressed  upon  him  a  tin 
dipper  full  of  water. 

Captain  Corbet  took  the  proffered  draught  and 
raised  it  to  his  lips.  A  few  swallows,  however, 
satisfied  him,  and  ho  put  it  down  with  some  ap- 
pearance of  haste. 

"  As  a  gen'ral  thing,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  of  mild 
remonstrance,  "  I  don't  use  sea  water  for  a  bever- 
age. I  kin  take  it,  but  don't  hanker  arter  it,  as 
the  man  said  when  he  ate  the  raw  crow  on  a  bet." 

*'  Sea  water !  "  exclaimed  Phil.     "  Did  I  ?  " 

He  raised  the  water  to  his  own  lips,  and  found 
that  it  was  so. 

"  Then  we've  taken  sea  water  in  this  keg,"  he 
cried,  "  and  we  haven't  any  fresh." 

At  this  dreadful  intelligence  consternation  filled 
all  minds. 

"Who  filled  that  keg?"  asked  Bruce,  after  a 
long  silence. 

"  Sure  1  did,"  said  Pat. 

"  "^ou  I  and  how  did  j'^ou  happen  to  make  such  a 
mistake  ?  "  cried  Bart. 

"  Sure  ye  said  to  fill  the  kegs  with  wather,  an 
didn't  say  what  kind ;  so  I  jist  tuk  the  say  wather, 
because  it  was  most  convaynient." 


CORBET  FEARS  THE  RHEUMATIZ. 


289 


>r,  an 
LtUer, 


At  tbis  amazing  blunder  the  boys  wore  dumb, 
and  stared  at  Pat  in  silence.  Words  were  useless. 
The  mistake  was  a  fatal  one.  The  fresh  water  had 
gone  with  the  Antelope  to  the  bottom.  Where  or 
wlien  could  they  ho[>e  to  get  any  more?  Who 
could  toll  how  long  a  time,  or  how  great  a  distance, 
might  now  separate  tliem  from  the  land?  Bad 
enough  their  situation  already  had  been,  but  this 
opened  up  before  them  the  prospect  of  unknown 
sufferings. 

"  0,  don't  talk  to  me  about  water,"  eaid  Captain 
Corbet,  in  lugubrious  tones,  squeezing  his  hands,  aa 
he  spoke,  over  his  thighs  and  shins,  so  as  to  force 
the  water  out  of  his  clothes.  "  Don't  you  go  and 
talk  to  me  about  water.  I've  bed  enough,  an  don't 
want  ever  to  see  any  agin.  Why,  it  kem  up  aa 
higli  as  my  waist  if  it  kem  a  inch.  An  now  what'a 
to  hender  me  a  fallin  a  helpuless  victim  to  rheuraa* 
tiz.  0,  I  know  it.  Don't  tell  me.  I  know  what'a 
a  goin  to  come  to  this  forrail  body.  Thar's  rheuma- 
tiz  acute  and  chronic,  an  thar's  pleurisy,  an  thar'a 
lumbago,  an  thar's  nooralgy,  an  thar's  fifty  other 
diseases  equally  agoni  n.  An  dear,  dear,  dear, 
dear  I  But  how  dreadful  wet  it  did  feel,  to  be 
sure  !  dear,  dear,  dear,  dear  !  An  here  am  I  now, 
with  my  tendency  to  rheumatiz,  a  settin  here  in 
my  wot  clothes,  an  not  a  dry  stitcli  to  be  had  for 
love  or  money.  Wal,  I  never  knowed  anythiu  like 
this  here,  an  I've  lived  a  life  full  of  sturrango  vy- 
cissitudos  —  from  bad  to  wuss  has  ben  our  fato 
19 


I  r 


W      i 


If    I 


I 


iiiiii 


■  I 


e,e,  sence  we  sot  .00.^^  ^^j^  ^^  -T^ 

'ge;  an  ef  thar's  any  l^'^"" J^^,,,  ^hy,  T  ain't 

lei  doins  an  car'ns  on  <«  ^'^Yj^'do,    Whaf8 

a  goin  to  become  o^jnej  J^  J^^^  „, ,  i„„bago 

to  dry  mysoin    ™«""'      ^  .jde  o'me!  Buch  is 

behind  n,e  1  P'«""!f ;"  ^blighted  bein  that  novr 
the  te-rifio  prospect  ot  the  d  g 

addresses  you."  j^„t;on  to  Captain 

The  boys   paid  l>»^  '''^^^  ^^^er  troubles  more 
Corbet's  waiUngs.    ^heyn  „        They  con  d 

Berions  than  these  P^Pj;'  ;;„k  by  the  thought 
„ot  help,  l^o":.';"',Xa„anwhol.a,ljustbeen 

that  it  was  aW««;f/^  l^terrible  death  to  con- 
snatched  so  narrowly  irom  a  j^t;o„8  to  such 

fine  all  his  ■'"-'-"^tio  a«  -«»  <='°*«'-  /° 
»  very  ordinary  «>«'»"\*^X  a  short  time  before, 
who  had  announced  ^  fi™^y;;;,rishing  with  the 
hi,  calm  and  fixed  >nt«f'°° J* ,?     „„en  all  about 
Antelope,  now  -^^^^^^  .^^Xn'd  his  rheumatic, 
her,  and  thought  ""'y  ""'""^j^  Corbef!    Strange 
Codd  this  be,  >"^««t^trover  him;  yet  this 
was  the  change  t^atj-d  ^^^  ^^  ^ 

was  notthe  only  singular  Chang       ^^^^^^^^  ^^^^„ 

on  this  eventful  day.    Theyj^  p,t.    These 

•^"■■^^r td'- i-^  their  usual  cha. 
two,  however,  u«*« 

acteristics.  ^^^^  all  of  them,  but 

There  they  were,    n  a         ,      ^^^^  ^^^,^  ,f 
where?    'That  was  the  ques 


WHERE  TO   GO. 


2i'l 


1 

t 

'3 

:e 
ro 
is 

ain 

lore 

)uld 

ight 

jeen 

con- 

sucb 
Ho 

sfore, 
the 

about 

naatiz. 
rang© 
et  this 
curred 
others 
These 
q\  char- 
em,  ^^* 
aasts  of 


the  sunken  Antelope  rose  obliquely  out  of  tlio 
water,  showing  that  she  was  resting  on  her  side  at 
the  bottom.  But  what  was  that  bottom,  and 
where?  Was  it  some  lonely  roiik  or  reef?  Was 
it  some  sand-bank  or  shoal  like  that  upon  which 
they  had  already  gone  aground,  and  where  the 
Antelope  had  received  those  injuries  which  liad 
at  length  wrought  her  ruin?  None  of  them  could 
answer  this. 

And  where  should  they  go  ?  In  what  direction 
should  they  turn?  This  was  the  question  that 
pressed  upon  thero,  and  required  immediate  de- 
cision. 

"  It's  impossible  to  even  guess  where  we  are," 
said  Bai't.  "  We've  been  going  in  the  dark  all 
along.  We  may  as  well  be  off  Sable  Island  as 
anywhere  else.  And  if  so,  all  I  can  say  is,  I've 
seen  worse  places." 

"  Sure  an  thin  it's  as  likely  to  be  Anticosti  as 
Sable  Island,"  said  Pat.  . "  We've  ben  a  turruniri 
around  ivery  way,  so  we  have,  an  we  may  have 
fetched  up  there,  so  we  may,  an  if  that's  so,  wo 
may  as  well  dig  our  graves  an  lay  ourselves  down 
in  thim." 

"  Well,  if  you're  going  so  far  as  that,"  said  Bruce, 
"  I'd  put  in  a  claim  for  Bermuda.  I  don't  see  why 
we  mayn't  be  off  Bermuda  as  well  as  Anticosti. 
If  so,  we  may  be  sure  of  good  accommodations." 

"  Well,  while  you're  about  it,"  said  Arthur,  "why 
don't  you  say  Jamaica  V  " 


'i  I 


292 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


•'  At  any  rate,"  said  Bruce,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder 
if  it  should  turn  out  to  be  Newfoundland.  This 
Bou'-west  wind  would  take  us  there." 

"  Yes,  but  there's  been  a  calm,"  said  Arthur,  "  for 
some  time,  and  we've  got  into  some  current.  I 
dare  say  it's  taken  us  west,  and  that  this  is  close 
by  Cape  Cod." 

"  Pooh  !  "  said  Phil.  "  If  we've  been  drifting 
witii  any  current,  there's  only  one  current  here- 
abouts. That's  the  Gulf  Stream.  1  tell  you  what 
it  is,  boys ;  we've  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  thig 
place  is  off  the  coast  of  Owld  Ireland ;  and  there  ye 
have  it." 

"  Arrah,  go  way  wid  yer  deludherin  talk,"  said 
Pat.     "  We  want  a  sinsible  opinion." 

"  The  more  I  think  of  it,"  said  Tom,  "  the  more 
I'm  inclined  to  be  of  Bart's  opinion.  We've  been 
tacking  and  drifting,  and  going  backward  and  for- 
ward, and  it  seems  to  me  most  likely  tliat  this  is 
Sable  Island.  If  so,  we  may  be  glad  that  we  came 
here  when  the  water  was  so  calm." 

"Wal,"  said  Captain  Corbet,  thoughtfully,  "I 
don't  b'lieve  that  this  here  air  Ireland,  nor  Iceland, 
nor  Africky,  nor  Jamaiky,  nor  any  other  sech. 
'Ta'n't  unpossible  for  it  to  bo  Sable  Island.  We 
drifted  there  oust,  an  may  heve  done  it  agin.  Far 
be  it  from  me  to  dispute  that  thar.  But  then  again 
it  might  be  Newfoundland.  'Pears  to  me  as  ef  we've 
got  off  some  land  whar  thar's  woods,  for  I  got  jest 
now  a  kino  a  scent  o'  trees,  an  'peared  to  nie  of 


SOUNDING   FOR   LAND. 


293 


"1 

jland, 
sech. 
We 
Far 
again 
we've 
ot  jest 
me  of 


Bpruce  an  sech.  I  shouldn't  bo  s'prisod  ef  tho  wind 
was  to  haul  round.  It  often  doos,  specially  wlien 
it's  ben  an  done  its  wust,  an  you  don't  care.  So 
now  we  don't  care  what  it  doos,  or  which  way  it 
blows  ;  an  consekently  it's  goin  to  turn  an  blow 
away  the  fog." 

At  this  moment,  and  while  the  ancient  mariner 
was  yet  speaking,  there  came  a  breath  of  wind, 
very  gentle,  yet  quite  perceptible,  and  there  was 
in  it  an  unmistakable  odor  of  forest  trees  —  balmy, 
delicious,  most  fragrant,  bringing  with  it  hope,  and 
joy,  and  delight. 

"  The  land  must  be  close  by,"  cried  Bart.  "  Hur- 
rah !  " 

"  Don't  hurrah  too  soon,"  said  Tom.  "  It  may  be 
Anticosti."  .     - 

"  Pooh  !  Anticosti  could  never  send  out  such  a 
smell  of  spruce  and  pine." 

"  Well,  it  may  be  Newfoundland,  and  that  won't 
help  us  much." 

"  The  wind's  going  to  change,"  said  Arthur.  "  I 
think  the  fog  isn't  so  thick  as  it  was." 

"  Come,  boys,  this  bottom  slioals  in  some  direc- 
tion. Let's  sound,  and  row  on  in  the  direction 
where  it  shoals.     That'll  bring  us  to  tho  shore." 

This  suggestion,  which  came  from  Bruce,  was  at 
once  acted  on.  Bart  and  Tom  took  the  oars. 
Bruce  took  a  hatchet  which  had  been  flung  into 
the  boat,  and  tying  a  lino  to  it,  used  this  as  a  sound* 
ing  lead. 


294 


THE 


TREA8XIUB  OP  THE  SEAS. 


.BowgentbV  'f^2^^r,^^  Brace's  direction, 
The  boys  did  so,  if^:']^^         ^^.t^d  the  hot- 

while,  holding  his  B-^^^^^^f  tjd  s,t^Ified  himBelf. 
torn/ After  a  little  while  he  had  sat^ti  ^^^ 

«It  shoals  in  this  direction,    saia 
Btraigbt  on  a  dozen  strokes. 
They  did  so. 
Bruce  sounded  again. 
"All  right,"  said  he.    "  Bow  on. 
They  rowed  farther.  ^^^  ^^^h 

Bruce  sounded  again,     ihe  do 
shallower. 

i.e,  straight  jef^et^^^^^^^^^ 
Do-w  lessening  log,  they  du  u 
Biglitofland. 


ROWING   ASHORE. 


295 


XXIV. 

Bowing  ashore.  —  Nearer  they  come.  —  77?e  Fog 
dispels.  —  Strangely  familiar.  —  A  Man  ad- 
vances toioards  them.  —  Wild  Shouts  from  Bart 
and  Tom.  —  Wilder  Shouts  from  the  other  Boys. 
—  Confmed  Rejoicings.  —  A  hearty  Welcome.  — 
Explanations.  —  The  receding  Tide.  —  A  Visit 
to  the  Antelope.  —  Moui  ful  Remembrances. — * 
The  Speech  of  Captain  Corbet. 


^ 


iT  the  siglit  of  land  a  cry  of  joy  burst  forth 
from  all  in  the  boat,  and  Bart  and  Torn 
bent  to  their  oars  with  all  their  force.  As 
they  drew  nearer,  they  saw,  to  their  intense  de- 
ligllt^  that  this  strange  land  was  no  wilderness,  no 
desolate  shore,  but  an  inhabited  place,  with  culti- 
vated fields,  and  pasture  land,  and  groves.  One 
by  one,  new  features  in  the  landscape  revealed 
themselves.  There  was  a  long  beach,  with  a 
grand  sweep  that  curved  itself  away  on  either 
side,  till  it  joined  steep  or  precipitous  shores. 
Behind  this  were  fields,  all  green  with  verdure, 
and  a  scattered  settlement,  whose  white  houses,  of 


296 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


simple,  yet  neat  construction,  looked  most  invitinj^- 
]y  to  these  shipwrecked  wanderers.  At  one  end 
of  the  winding  beach  rose  the  fabric  of  a  large 
ship  in  process  of  construction. 

Nearer  they  came,  and  yet  nearer.  The  tide 
was  high  on  the  beach,  and  the  waters  almost 
touched  the  green  fiekls  that  fringed  the  shore 
with  alder  bushes.  Here  a  boat  was  drawn  up, 
and  beyond  this  stood  a  neat  farm-house.  On  a 
fence  nets  were  hanging,  showing  that  the  occu- 
pant of  this  house  united  the  two  callings  of  farmer 
and  fisher.  Beyond  the  settlement,  the  land  rose 
into  high  hills,  whicli  were  covered  with  forest 
trees,  and  from  these  had  been  waflted  that  aro- 
matic breeze  which  had  first  made  known  to  them 
the  neighborhood  of  land.* 

All  this  time  the  breeze  had  been  slightly  in- 
creasing, and  the  fog  had  been  steadily  diminish- 
ing. Now  the  shores  appeared  in  fuller  outline. 
Looking  back  over  their  course,  they  could  see 
the  masts  of  the  Antelope,  where  they  projected 
above  the  water.  They  could  see  that  they  had 
drifted  into  a  bay,  and  the  Antelope  had  sunk  into 
its  sliallowest  part. 

There  was  something  in  this  scene  which  ap- 
peared to  them  strangely  and  moat  unaccountably 
familiar.  All  had  the  same  feeling,  yet  not  one 
of  them  expressed  it.  Each  imagined  that  it  was 
his  own  fancy ;  and  so  disturbed  had  their  minds 
been  for  the  past  few  days,  that  they  felt  unwilling 


A   MAN   ADVANCES   TOWARDS   TIIEM. 


:97 


g« 

ide 

lOSt 

tore 

up, 

)n  a 

(CCU- 

rmor 

rose 
orcst 
i  aro- 

tbcm 

tly  in- 
QiniBb- 
utline. 
d  see 
:ijected 
ey  l»atl 
nk  into 

lich  sip- 
untvibly 
not  one 
it  it  waa 
ir  mivida 
nwiUing 


now  to  indulge  this  fancy.  Yet  every  moment  tlio 
iuney  grew  stronger,  and  brought  frosh  won<lor 
with  it.  Tn  this  way  thoy  rowed  along,  and  every 
moment  brought  the  boat  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
shore. 

At  length  thoy  saw  a  man  come  forth  from  the 
house  before  them,  and  advance  towards  the  beach. 
His  face  was  turned  towards  them ;  he  was  staring 
at  them  most  intently.  As  the  boat  advanced,  lie 
advanced  ;  and  thus  the  two  parties  approached. 
Every  moment  revealed  more  and  more  of  the 
opposite   party  to  eacli. 

Bart  and  Tom  were  ro\vir»g,  and  thus  had  their 
backs  turned  to  tlie  shore  and  their  faces  towards 
the  sea  outside.  Here  the  fog  was  fast  dispelling ; 
and  as  it  fled,  there  opened  np  luile  after  mile  of 
the  coast,  and  the  sea  horizon.  There,  on  that  ho- 
rizon, there  came  forth  out  of  the  fog  to  their 
eyes  a  solitary  object,  that  appeared  to  float  upon 
the  sea.  It  revealed  itself  more  and  more ;  and 
first,  magnified  and  distorted  by  the  mist,  it  seemed 
like  a  lofty  table  land  of  cloud,  then  like  a  giant 
rock,  but  at  length  resolved  itself  into  a  wooded 
island  with  precipitous  sides.  There  it  lay  full 
before  them. 

As  it  thus  revealed  itself,  Tom  uttered  a  wild 
shout.     Bart  instantly  uttered  another. 

"  Boys  !  Boys  !  Look  1  Look  I  Hurrah  !  Hur- 
ra-a-a-a-a-a-ah  I     Hurra-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah  1 !  '* 

But  at  that  very  instant  there  arose  a  wild  out* 


„„„.qnRE  OP  THE  8EA8. 
298       THE  TREASUBt  w^ 

others  in.  tl.o  boat,    bolomon  g  ^  .^  ,^g^ 

Corbet  M.rted  «P-  ^f^^^^p^  „ith  one  wild  cry. 
Bruce,  Arthur,  VUx\,  «nd  ^  ,^,,  ^f  the  .way 
started  erect  to  the.r  feet  -6  ^^^  ,_  j^_^^^^, ,  „ 
i„,androck.ngoi«e^^^,,     jj„„,,,., 

tl.ey  cried.        «"•„ 

a-a.a^a-a-a**-*''   '■-,     „    j^,,.   cried  Tom    and 
..  Scott'B  Bay  1    Il«  Haute 

Bart.  „    „„  Grieel"  cried  all  the 

..  Scott'8  Bay  1    B«""y  ^"^^ 

others. 

"  Scott's-Grigg. 
"  Benny-Haute. 

« lie-Bay." 
"  Benny-Bay." 

"  lle-Grigg."       ^_ 

..  Scott's  Haute."  j^^^  ^^ge  from 

S„ch  was  the  med  ey  of  one  ^^  ^,_^ 

,n,  shouting  and  yellmg    t     -  •  ^  ^^„  ,,,t ,,., 

time  there  stood  on  ^^J^°       g^t  had  started 

come  down  to  meet  them  ,  ^^^  ^^^^^  ^^,. 

.nd  stared  with  «—  »  t  the  masts  of  the 
ognizing  them  ^"' """^^  ?""„^derstood  tbo  whole 
«^„ken  schooner  be^^o'vl,  »"^  ,y  __  ,how- 

situ»t:.n,and  ^«J°7^  "^ '',  „„i,y  and  demonstr.^ 
the  liouae  on  a  lull  run. 


BENNY  GRIGO. 


299 


the 

ain 

igs. 

cry, 

vay 

.hi" 

a-a-a- 

and 

I  the 


;e  from 
all  the 
hat  had 
started 
hen,  rcc- 
s  of  the 
le  whole 
«-  show- 
3nion9tra- 
rbich  was 

•ted  off  to 
leared. 


The  boat  drew  nearer. 

Bonny  appeared  once  more. 

The  boat  touched  the  beach. 

At  tliat  very  inatant  Benny  touched  the  boacli 
also,  and,  plunging  into  the  water,  bogan  shaking 
hands  with  every  one  of  them,  in  the  most  violent 
and  vehement  manner. 

"  Come  along  1  Come  along  !  Come  right  up  1 
Come  along !  Don't  mind  the  boat.  FU  see  to 
that.  Come  along  to  the  house.  Blowed  if  I  ever 
see  the  likes  o'  this  in  all  my  born  days !  Come 
along  I  " 

Such  was  the  welcome  of  Benny  Grigg. 

And  in  this  way  Benny  dragged  them  all  up  to 
his  house.  Here  he  gave  them  another  welcome, 
characterized  by  a  lavish  hospitality,  and  a  warm- 
hearted friendliness  that  was  truly  delightful  to  his 
guests ;  in  all  of  which  he  was  seconded  by  Mrs. 
Benny.  The  table  that  was  spread  before  them 
was  loaded  down  with  everything  that  the  houso 
could  furnish,  and  the  shipwrecked  guests  ate  with 
an  appetite  such  as  is  only  known  to  those  who 
have  labored  hai'd  and  fasted  long. 

After  which  Benny  questioned  them  all  closely, 
and  made  them  tell  him  how  it  was  that  they  had 
come  here.  Great  was  his  astonishment,  but  great- 
er still  his  amusement.  Though  it  had  so  nearly 
been  a  tragedy,  to  hear  it  seemed  like  a  comedy. 
There  is  but  one  step  between  the  sublime  and  the 
ridiculous  —  the  terrible  and  the  grotesque  —  tra- 


THE  TUUA8UUE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


I  ! 


300 

will,  exceeding  mirth.  ^^^^  ,„„re 

But  alter  the  .tory  was  a«    old^        6^    ,,^  ^^. 

serious,  and,  preducing  a  «"      .vandorings. 

p,„„ed  to  tiiein  J  ^^fproUaUe  place  wliero 
Ho  pointed  ont  to  the^i  t  p  ^^^^  ^^^  ^^_^  ^„^^, 
tl,e  Aiitolopo  had  strucK,  ^^^^  .^  ^^^, 

of  the  tide,  and  e»"-t^-j/„Sr  such  circum- 
that,  «ith  such  a  wind,  and  «^  .^^^  ^,  .^      . 

stanceB,  they,  very  na  u  aU^ ,  >.  3^,,,,^, 

particular  part  oi  *'^^;"^  ^,     ,„cid,  and  bo  .at- 
explanation  was  '"''^f^ ;"  ^^^  ^^^  their  regrets  at 
iictory,that  «->-f.   iX/in  which  case  they 
„„t  having  known  *>'  "''f"™;^,,^,,  ,„^iety. 
„„„ld  1-vo  been  saved   rommn  .^  ^^^  ,.^^^ 

When  they  arrived  at  bc^tt      J'     ;^,,^j  t,,eir 
tide,  but  by  the  time  that  they  ^^^^^^ 

„ovy  and  the  conversation  t  at  ^_^  ^^.__g 

ty  it,  the  tide  was  f''\^'''^"'\l^  „f  the  Antelope 

U  tbey  could  -;  *  \i'rr  Seating  waters.    In 
UA  been  uncovered  b>  the  ^^^  ^^  ^,,„ 

t,vo  or  three  hours  «">reti^em  ^^^,j  ^^ 

lowest  ebb,  and  they  could  see  t.  ^^ 

possible  for  them  to  visit  *«  «7;",,,,h,  between 
iy  about  a  m,^  -ay  ^^J^^  ,^^^  ^„,  fl,ts, 

which  and  l«".,"'^'*,/^^„,ed  at  low  water, 
all  walked  down  to  her. 


A  VISIT  TO  THE  ANTELOPE. 


301 


it  nil 
rly  1.0 
mcrvy 

7  more 
ho  ex- 
leringa. 
)  whore 
mracter 
<f  it  waa 

circum- 
into  this 

Benny's 
d  so  sat- 
egreta  at 
paso  t\iey 

was  b>i:;n 

slied  their 
en  caused 

On  goi"S 
B  Antelope 

ifatera.    Iw 

1  be  at  the 

t  would  bo 

hooner.    It 

5h,  between 

niud  flats, 

water. 

id  then  they 


There  she  lay  —  the  Antelope  —  the  vessel  that 
had  carried  them  so  fur,  tliruugh  strange  seas, 
amid  so  many  dangers  and  perils  —  the  vessel  as- 
sociated with  so  many  memories.  Tliey  climbed 
on  board.  They  saw  that  her  hold  was  still  full  of 
water;  for,  though  the  crevices  were  numerous, 
and  wide  enough  to  let  in  the  sea,  they  could  not 
let  it  out  with  sufficient  rapidity  to  keep  pace  with 
the  fall  of  the  tide.  Still,  the  water  streamed  out 
in  small  jets,  or  trickled  out,  drop  by  drop,  in  a 
hundred  places,  alFordiiig  them  a  very  iiupreaaivo 
sight  of  the  true  condition  of  the  Antelope,  and  of 
the  danger  against  which  tliey  had  struggled  so 
long  and  so  laboriously. 

"  If  the  water'd  ony  get  out  of  her,"  said  Captain 
Corbet,  in  a  melancholy  voice,  "  she  might  float 
ashore." 

♦'  Yes,"  said  Benny,  "  she  might  float,  perhaps, 
as  far  as  the  shore,  but  no  farther.  'Tain't  no  man- 
ner of  "tl'.ly  ucso  a  tryni  to  lup^'r  that  thar  craft, 
cos  she's  ben  an  gone  an  got  done  for.  Slie's  wore 
out,  the  wustest  kind.  That  thar  vessel  ain't  wuth 
a  tryin  to  repair  her.  It's  a  mussy  she  held  out  so 
long,  an  didn't  go  to  pieces  all  of  a  suddent,  some- 
whars  in  the  middle  of  the  sea." 

To  this  Captain  Corbet  made  no  reply.  He  felt 
keenly  the  truth  of  the  remark,  and  could  see  that 
the  Antelope  was  indeed  beyond  the  reach  of 
human  aid. 

The  boys  all  climbed  on  board  of  the  beloved, 


II  'i 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  SEAS 


!       i 


302  , 

ft  fn  take  a  last  look  and  a 
though  battered  fd  -ft,  °  ta.e^^^^^^^,  ,,,  , 
last   farewell.    It  was  w.  ^^^  g„  a„„„ 

that  they  looked  around.     M  ^^_^^  ^^^^  ^,^^^^ 

into  the  cabin,  or  the  hold  tor  t  ^j.  ^,^^j 

'yet  the  deck  -^.^^v  l-d  - perienced  hero. 

eventful  past  which  ^'^/'^^'borne  them  on  their 
This  was  the  schooner  that  had  bor  ^^^^ 

cruise  around  Minas  Bay    wh,ch^»>^^^  ^^^ 

around  the  Bay  ef  /"""y     .  ^„  to  the  Bay  de 

^hich  had  afterwards  ^^^^^  ^y,,,,  appear- 

Chaleur.    This  was  the  ««'>°;f  ^^^^^a  on  board  the 

ance  they  had  so  watched  a^<^  ^        ,^t,,y  borne 

water-logged  Petrel,  ""^  - -J^         ^,,_  t.^ugh 

them  over  so  ■"-»/ "'"^^^this  was  the  end. 
^^TpirSlt-thatflrstbrokethes 

^'Xir  gone,"  he  said  ;^  the  a^ream^^^^^ 

The  berright  derream  ot  tort  n  ^^_^^,„p,_ 

perosperity.  <^<'-;'JX"  feelins,  an  my  fame, 
companion  of  ">  ^^  ^'^^Jfidants  of  my  feeUns  to- 
Boys,  you  t'ov  ben  the  co  ,,„„!  loved 

...rds  this  here  Autdope,  anj  ^^.^  ,    ^ 

her,  yea,  even  as  ^'^X  yon  rudder,  fixed  6rm 
stood  here,  not  long  sencebyo^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^^^ 

an  solemn;  resolved  to  peru  ^^^^^  ^^^^  j  ^^^ 

sink  into  the  deep  blue  sea  ^^^^^.  ^,,^ 

spared;  yet  st.U  "'yj^"^^,^,  grow   cold.    An 
heart's  the  same  -  tw.i  ^  ^^  j^^^^j  a 

now  1  feel  to  mourn.    1  toU 


SPEECH   OP   CORBET. 


303 


and  a 
adness 
odown 
i  tliere ; 
of  that 
d  here, 
on  their 
3n  them 
ras  lost; 

Bay  de 
3  appear- 
Doard  the 
5ly  borne 
,  through 
le  end. 
^e  solemn 

hev  bust ! 
Llth,  an  of 
jitelope  — 

niy   fame. 

feeUns  to- 
owl  loved 

d  eyel    1 

fixed  firm 
ready  to 
it  fate  1  was 

same ;  the 
tv  cold.  An 
am  indeed  a 


IB 


growhi  old.  The  days  of  my  navigatin  air  brought 
to  an  end.  Henceforth  the  briny  deep  will  be 
traversed  by  the  aged  Corbet  no  more  forever. 
From  this  time  I  retire  from  the  heavin  biller,  an 
take  refooge  in  my  own  vine  an  fig  tree.  My  nav- 
igatin arter  this'll  be,  with  my  belessed  babhy  in 
my  arms,  up  an  down  the  room.  The  only  storms 
that  await  me  now,  an  the  only  squalls,  air  to  be 
of  a  sterictly  domestic  characture.  Weak  human 
natur,  boys,  might  be  tempted  to  repine,  an  to  in- 
dulge in  vain  lamintations  over  this  here ;  but  tho 
time  hev  passed.  I've  made  my  lamintation,  an 
that's  enough.  I'll  lament  no  more.  Peace  to  her 
ashes.  Let  her  lie,  an  may  no  rude  hand  go  a  dig?* 
turbin  of  tho  beloved  Antelope  in  her  last  restin- 
place.  Let  her  lie  buried  here  beneath  tho  ocean. 
Let  the  billowy  main  sound  her  requem,  an  chant 
lier  foon'ral  dirge.  An  now,  farwell !  an  may  you 
be  happy  !  Good  by,  Antelope  —  ole  friend  —  an 
receive,  as  your  last  legacy  an  benediction,  tho 
belessin  of  the  mournful  Corbet  1 " 

He  ceased.  Silence  followed,  and  in  that  silence 
they  all  retired  from  the  Antelope,  and  returned  to 
the  shore. 


n 


n 


301 


THE 


TUEA8UBB  OF  THE  SEAS. 


XXV. 

.     ,.  nv  Land  or  hy  Sea. -^ 

Discussing  the  ^^^^^^ --'^J^^  Offer  of  Benme. 
Conferences  with  Benme-  ^        ^^^^  ^^n 

-^TkclastMedat^coUs^  ^^^_^    , 

tne  Shore,  and  the  ^^^'  ''^^^^.u  Speech  of  tU 
Words  of  Solomon,  and  J^ar 

Ancient  Mariner. 


0 


\  to  take  into  ''"""•''''''■^""avi.-.Wc. 

a^    actiou  that  was  -«  » -' J^^^.^^tion,  boys," 

..We've  got  a  Cew  weeks      t 
saul  Bart,  "  and  -    we  wa  ^^  ,^ , 

„e'a  better  get  out  ol  tW  a^  ^^  ^^^__.  t;,t,,„,, 

..  We  ougbt,  at  an      •;*.';•*      .^  k„ow  w\.at  they'll 
a„.l  mothers,"  saia  I  mi, 

tl""'-"  •  1  Rruoo  •  "  we'd  better  hurry  oil 

..  Write  \ "  said  Bruce  ,  j.„,  ,„y 

bomconrewn  Bolves^mlj  -  ^„,  ^rand 

part,  I'm  ready  to  sUtt 

Pre"  .    rt    „/n>ifci"  asked  Arthur. 

''.:GrandPr.^Butw^.yG-a^;;j^  „«,,t  other 
u  0, 1  dou't  kuow,     aaia 


BY  LAND  OR  BY  SEA. 


305 


!a.  — ' 
lis  on 

of  the 


cessary 

I,  boys,'* 

ib\o." 
uittbey'U 

lluirvy  off 
^ur  my 


for 


Grand 


:Qi\  Arthur. 
,hat  otber 


way  is  there  to  go?  We'll  have  to  get  away 
from  this,  of  course ;  and  it  seems  most  natural  to 
cross  the  mountain  to  Grand  Pre,  and  then  go  on 
by  stage.  Bart  could  leave  us  at  Windsor,  and 
take  the  steamer  for  St.  John." 

"Sure  an  the  stage  goes  the  other  way  alto- 
gether," said  Pat.  / 

"How's  that?" 

"Why,  down  the  valley  to  Annapolis;  an  the 
steamer  starts  from  that  to  St.  John,  so  it  does ; 
an' it's  twice  as  near,  so  it  is." 

"  No,  it  isn't." 

"  Yes,  it  is.  St.  John  is  only  sixty  mile  from 
Annapolis,  and  it's  more'n  a  hundred  an  twinty 
from  Windsor." 

"  But  Annapolis  is  seventy  or  eighty  miles  from 
this  place,  and  Windsor's  only  thirty." 

"  At  any  rate,  it's  easier  goin  by  the  way  of 
Annapolis.'' 

"  No,  it  isn't." 

"  Yes,  it  is ;  you  go  down  the  valley,  so  you  do, 
an  the  other  way  you  have  to  go  up." 

"Pooh  !  nonsense  I  The  Annapolis  valley  isn't  a 
hill.  The  fact  is,  from  here  to  St.  John  it's  easier 
to  go  by  the  way  of  Windsor." 

"  It's  further  thin." 

"  Yes."  said  Phil,  "  it's  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
by  the  way  of  Windsor,  and  only  a  hundred  and 
forty-seven  by  the  way  of  Annapolis." 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Bart,  "  1  don't  fancy  either 
20 


OTTHV  OP  THE  SEA9. 
THE  TBEASUBB  O* 


i 


THE  TBlSAo^"- 

306  ^'^  .     ,*«  hundred  and 

"  <^' "Tt  how  en  we  go  ou  f»t  a-'^o 
..  Sure,  but  bow  ^  pat.  .        ,. 

Wy^  or  by  «t»g«  ^^^^;X  be  any  schooner 

'.7vXr,tok«g  '^l  "°"f  searching  narrowly 
"'IX  other,  aid  ti---rg,  however.  -; 
J  whole  «-°';:r -vessel.    B°''*«;X"one 

of  them  sufficient  y  netting  to  St. 

Jo^»-  .J    Uavt   your  idea  01   g  « you'd 

ui'm  afraid,  Bait,  y  g,^ce.       J-       , 

T  hn  by  ^'^^^'  ^^"^       !^'  to  come  along  with  us. 
John  Dy  Hiind  to  cou  ^^^t 

Vv^tter  maKC  up  :'"  ..lone  "W^tn  you, 

"®   1  TMi  «-n  of  course,  along  gt  set- 

»  0, 1^1  S^'  ^     ,     ^  aa  we  can    o^i-  w"  ,^ 

Pnnce   l^^wa  „t  least  a8 

r:;^:il,iaon.t.nowb».*^r:o"^3erf- 
-^-r:f,tne::rgo  to  Windsor,  or,,  yoa 

::r  it  tUnnapolisr. 


CONFERENCE  WITH  BENNIE. 


307 


land 


)\ctely 


oss 


tUe 


here 


>» 


tiarrowAy 
jver,  ^va8 

,,  but  none 
3  far  as  St. 

ting  to  St. 
44  Yon'd 

^g  vritb  us." 
a-  we  must 
^emust^^,^ 

/oUn.    ^o^ 

jn  go  o^«^  ^^ 
fby  any  other 

,,n,at\eastaa 
no  objection, 
lisor,  or,  if  you 


"  Well,  let's  find  out,  first  of  all,  whether  there  is 
any  chance  of  going  by  a  more  direct  way.  Old 
Bennie  can  tell  us  all  about  it." 

**  Yes,  yes,"  said  Tom,  who  had  thus  far  taken 
no  part  in  the  discussion,  "  let's  ask  old  Bennie  j  ho 
can  tell  us  what's  best  to  do." 

With  these  words  the  boys  walked  on  faster 
towards  where  old  Bennie  was  sauntering  about 
with  Captain  Corbet  and  Solomon.  At  the  first 
mention  of  their  wish  Bennie  energetically  refused 
to  say  anything  about  it. 

"  You've  got  to  stay  here,  boys  — you've  got  to, 
you  know ;  an  thar's  no  use  talkin,  an  that's  all 
about  it  —  thar  uow." 

This  the  good  Bennie  said  over  and  over  again, 
persisting  in  it  most  obstinately.  At  length  Bart 
managed  to  secure  his  attention  long  enough  to 
convey  to  him  an  idea  of  the  circumstances  in 
which  they  were,  and  especially  the  regard  which 
they  had  for  their  respective  parents.  At  the 
mention  of  this  Bonnie's  obstinacy  gave  away. 

"  Wal,  thar,"  boys,  said  he,  "  that  thar  does  knock 
me,  an  I  give  up.  The  fact  is,  when  I  regard  you, 
and  think  on  what  you've  ben  a  doin  on,  an  how 
you've  ben  adoin  of  it,  an  what  sort  of  a  cratl 
you've  ben  a  navigatin  in,  I  feel  as  though  the 
parients  an  guardins  of  sech  as  youns  had  ort  to 
be  pitied." 

In  fact,  Bennie's  commiseration  for  these  anx- 
ious parents  was  so  great   that  he  changed  his 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  6EA9. 


A  of  trying  to  keep  tno 
tactics  at  once.  ^\^,  «.«  „tmoBt  eagemes, 
bovis  with  liim,  he  exm 

tohasten  their  departure^  ^^    John  boys, 

<.  Yott  can't  go  straight  o  ;„  jest 

fro»  this  pUce,  for  there  a.n  t  ^  s^^^,^^  ^^^ 
now;  bnt  ti.ere's  a  way  oi  g  ,^  go  ,f 

Z  that  place  ^«ter  »e^be    >-  y  ^^,^  ^„  ^ 

you  went  direct  in  a  sa'ta  ^^„^^,, ,, 

to  the  nighest  place  where  t 

"  Wliat's  that  I 

"  Parrsboro'."  Xo  it  ?  " 

,.  Parrsboro-  ?  ^d,^"!' J^  Jnly  jest  round  thar  •  " 
■  ..  0,  only  a  few  «"'«^ ' -'J^Voind  over   towards 

-if^eaUUnowr^^-o...^^^^^^^^^ 

Barf,  "bnt  when    can    «« 

there 't "  t^e,  at  abont  half  tide. 

..  Why,  to-morrow,  «"»;*'     '.^a  goes  down  to- 

The  steamer  comes  up  to-n  g    •  ,  ^„  take  the 

Lrrow.     So,  if  you  go  to  J«r^   ,^  ;„  g^.    John 
.teamer  thar,  yoxvU  be  a  ^^^„ 

quicker  than  it  you  «  «"*  ""^       ^i^d  the  question 
^  Tliis  intelligence  at  once  ^^^^j  p^^ 

completely.    They  al  l-w  that^o  g^  J^^^^  ^. 

of  the  way   ^««>'l  ^^.'^^J^t  needed  only  to  be 
Parrsboro'  was  so  "^^[  ""^     ^  at  once  this  plan- 

■»-«"r''"tiru  w-»^""'S"''^  how  W  get 
The  only  question  now 

tUere. 


THE   OFFER   OP   BENXIE. 


309 


the 
ness 

3oy8, 
,  jest 

jyott 

go  if 

et  off 
les." 


thar;" 

•owarJs 

earth's 

ill,"  said 
steamer 

half  tide, 
down  to- 
take  the 
St.    Jo^i« 

a  question 
land  part 

:iger  time. 

only  to  be 

this  p^an. 

liow  to  get 


"  Wal,  there  ain't  no  trouble  aboufc  that/'  said 
Bonnie.  "  Thar's  my  boat — a  nice,  cleaii,  roomy 
one ;  and  I'll  engage  to  put  you  over  in  Parrsboro' 
quick  sticks.  'Tain't  big  enough,  quite,  to  take  you 
to  St.  John  ;  not  because  she  couldn't  go  ihere,  for 
I'd  a  precious  sight  sooner  cross  the  bay  —  yes, 
or  the  Atlantic  Ocean  —  in  her  than  in  that  old  An- 
telope ;  but  because  she  hain't  got  good  sleepin 
accommodations  in  case  we  was  to  be  delayed,  as 
would  be  very  probable.  She's  ony  an  open  boat 
: — a  beautiful  oue  for  sailin  in  by  day,  an  in  fine 
weather,  but  not  overly  good  for  long  vyges  lor 
reasons  ubove  mentioned,  as  you'll  observe,  young 
gentlemen." 

"  And  can  we  get  over  there  to-day  ?  " 

•'Wal,  let  me  see.  The  tide's  a  leetle  agin  us, 
but  bein  as  you're  anxious,  I  don't  know  but  what 
we  might  do  it.  There  ain't  much  wind  about,  an 
we  may  have  to  pull  a  bit;  but  we'll  do  what  we 
can,  an  then,  you  know,  we've  got  all  night  afore 
us.  Even  at  the  wust  we're  sure  to  get  to  Parrs- 
boro'  before  the  steamer  does ;  for  if  the  tide's  too 
much  for  us  we -can  wait  till  it  turns,  and  then  go 
up  with  the  flood.  An  so,  if  you're  bound  to  bo 
off,  why,  here  am  I,  in  good  order  and  condition,  an 
at  your  service." 

Bennie  now  led  the  way  to  his  boat,  which  was 
drawn  up  on  the  beach.  It  was  an  open  fishing 
boat  of  large  size,  with  one  mast  and  sail.  It  was, 
aa  Bennie  had  said,  quite  clean  and  comfortable, 


'mmmmm 


310 


THE  TREASURE   OP  THE   SEAS. 


and  afforded  a  very  pleasant  mode  of  dropping 
over  to  the  Parrsboro'  aliore.  Having  once  seen  the 
boat,  tlio  boys  were  now  all  eager  to  bo  off.  Bonnie, 
however,  insisted  on  their  taking  their  dinner  be- 
fore starting.  This  they  all  consented  to  do  very 
readily.  The  dinner  was  almost  ready,  and  Bon- 
nie prepared  for  the  voyage,  which  preparation 
consisted  chiefly  in  moving  the  boat  down  over 
tlie  beach  to  the  water,  which  was  some  distance 
away. 

Then  followed  the  dinner,  which  was  served  up 
in  the  usual  sumptuous  style  peculiar  to  Mrs. 
Bennio.  After  this  followed  a  kindly  farewell  to 
their  motherly  hoste8s,and  the  boys  followed  Bennio 
to  the  beach,  accompanied  by  the  venerable  Corbet 
and  the  aged  Solomon. 

It  had  been  no  slight  task  to  move  the  heavy 
boat  from  the  place  where  she  had  been  lying  all 
the  way  down  to  the  water,  for  the  tide  was  quite 
low,  and  the  space  intervening  was  considerable ; 
but  Bennie  had  accomplished  the  task  with  the 
help  of  some  of  his  neighbors,  and  the  boat  now 
lay  so  that  a  slight  push  might  suffice  to  set  her 
afloat ;  and  inside  were  some  provisions  prepared 
by  the  forethought  of  Mrs.  Bennie,  together  with 
some  wraps  put  there  with  an  eye  to  some  sudden 
assault  of  the  fog.  Everything  was,  therefore, 
very  well  ordered  to  secure  the  comfort  of  the 
travellers. 

On  the  way  to  the  boat  the  venerable  Corbet 


THE  LAST  WORDS  OP  SOLOMON. 


311 


the 
inie, 
be- 
very 
Ben- 
ation 
over 
tance 

ed  up 
Mrs. 
^rell  to 
Sennio 
Corbet 

heavy 
/ing  all 
,9  quite 
lerable  *, 
rith  the 
oat  now 

set  her 
prepared 
ler  with 
sudden 
herefore, 
rt  of  the 

[e  Corbet 


and  the  aged  Solomon  were  silent,  and  appeared 
overcome  with  emotion.  This  silence  was  first 
broken  by  Solomon. 

"  Tell  ye  what,  chilen,"  said  he ;  "  it  am  dreflful 
hard  for  a  'fectionate  ole  nigga  like  me  to  hab  to 
undergo  dis  ycr  operatium.  Can't  stan  it,  no  how  ; 
an  donno  what  on  erf  I'se  a  gwine  to  do.  Here  I 
ben  a  romin  ober  the  mighty  oceam,  feeHn  like  de 
lather  an  garden  ob  all  of  youus  ;  and  now  it  'mos 
stracts  dis  yer  ole  nigga  to  tar  his  sef  away. 
Blest  if  I  ain't  like  to  break  down  like  a  chicken ; 
an  I  ain't  got  nuffin  else  to  do.  Darsen't  go  on 
wid  you,  Mas'r  Bart — darsen't,  no  how.  Fraid  ob 
dat  ar  ole  woman  wid  de  gridiron.  De  aged 
Solomon  hab  got  to  become  a  pilgrin  an  awander 
on  de  face  ob  de  erf.  But  I  ain't  gwine  to  wan- 
der yet  a  while ;  I  pose  to  make  a  bee-line  for  de 
Cad'my.  I  hab  a  hope  dat  de  ole  'oman  hab  not 
got  dar ;  an  if  so  I  be  safe,  an  tany  rate  de  doc- 
tor'll  take  her  in  hand  —  he's  de  boy  —  dat  ar's  de 
identical  gemman  dat  kin  overhaul  her  an  teach 
her  her  *  p's'  an  '  q's.'  But  what  you'll  do, 
chilen,  widout  me  to  cook,  and  to  carve,  an  to 
car  for  you,  am  more  dan  I  can  magine.  Ony  I 
truss  we'm  boun  to  meet  agin  afore  long,  an  jine 
in  de  social  band ;  an  so  you  won't  forgit  ole 
^Solomon." 

The  boys  all  shook  him  warmly  by  the  hand,  ad- 
vising him  to  go  by  all  means  back  to  the  Academy, 
and  put  himself  at  onco  under  the  protection  of 


312 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


the  doctor,  who  would  defend  him  from  all  poe« 
eible  dangers  arising  out  of  hia  "  ole  'oman." 

I'he  mate,  Wade,  also  received  their  farewells. 

Thus  far  the  venerable  Corbet  had  been  a  mute 
spectator ;  his  heart  was  full ;  his  mind  seemed 
preoccupied ;  he  seemed  to  follow  mechanically. 
At  last  he  saw  the  moment  come  which  must  once 
more  sever  him  from  them,  and  with  a  long  breath 
he  began  to  speak. 

"  It  air  seldom,  yoking  sirs,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am 
called  on  to  experience  a  sensation  sich  as  that 
which  this  moment  swells  this  aged  boosom ;  an  I 
feel  that  this  is  one  of  the  most  mournful  moments 
of  my  checkered  career.  Thar's  a  sadness,  an  a 
depression,  an  a  melancholy,  sich  as  I've  seldom 
knowed  afore.  Tain't  altogether  the  loss  of  the 
friend  of  my  youth.  That  air  passed  and  gone  — 
'tis  o'er.  I've  met  that  grief  an  surmounted  him. 
But  it  was  a  sore  struggle,  and  the  aged  Corbet 
ain't  the  man  he  once  was.  Consequently,  I'm 
onmanned  ;  I'm  all  took  aback.  It's  this  here  sepa- 
ration, boys  dear,  comin  as  it  does,  hard  an  fast 
on  the  heels  of  the  great  calamity  of  the  loved  and 
lost  Antelope.  But  it's  got  to  be."  —  He  paused 
and  sighed  heavily.  "  Yes,"  he  continued,  pensively, 
"  it's  got  to  be.  You  ain't  my  sons ;  you've  got 
parients  an  gardens  that's  anxious  about  you  an 
wants  to  see  you,  and  no  doubt  hain't  got  that  con- 
fidence in  me  which  they  might  have  in  some. 
But  go  you,  boys  dear,  and  tell  all  them  parients 


CORBET'S  GRIEF   AT   PARTING, 


313 


pOS" 

Is. 

noute 

3med 

cally. 

once 

>reath 

t  lam 

is  t\\at 
;  an  I 
omenta 

js,  an  a 

Bolciom 

of  the 

gone  — 

;ed  bim. 

Corbet 

ttly,  I'm 
ere  sepa- 
\  an  fast 
3ve(l  and 
paused 

)en8ively, 
)u've   got 
it  you  an 
t  that  con- 
in  some, 
m  parienta 


an  gardens  that  tlicre  nin't  a  pang,  an  there  ain't 
a  emotion,  an  there  ain't  a  anxiety,  an  there  ain't 
a  grief  that  they've  ever  had  for  any  of  you  that  I 
haven't  had  for  every  one  of  you.  Tell  them  thiit 
there  ain't  a  tear  that  they've  shed  over  you,  but 
I've  shed  too  ;  an  there  ain't  a  sigh  they've  heaved 
what  1  haven't  heaved,  and  ain't  a  groan  they've 
groaned  that  I  ain't  groaned  too.  Tell  them  that 
Corbet,  with  all  his  faults,  loves  you  still,  an  that 
if  you  run  into  dangers  and  trials,  thar  wan't  a  mo- 
ment when  he  wouldn't  hev  shed  his  heart's  blood 
to  get  you  off  safe  and  clear.  Don't  let  era  run 
away  with  the  idee  that  I'm  a  stony-hearted 
monster  that's  ben  a  endangerin  of  your  lives  in 
divers  places.  I'm  ready  to  be  blamed  for  carless- 
ness  an  ignorance,  boys  dear,  but  not  for  lack  of 
affection.  You  know  it,  an  I  know  that  you  know 
it,  an  what  I  want  is  for  you  all  to  make  them 
know  it  too.  For,  boys  dear,  I'm  a  father,  an  I 
know  a  father's  heart,  an  I  wouldn't  have  the 
heart  of  any  father  made  bitter  against  me." 

How  long  the  venerable  navigator  would  have 
gone  on  talking,  it  is  impossible  to  say ;  indeed,  it 
seemed  now  as  if,  after  his  long  silence,  his  tongue, 
having  once  found  voice,  had  become  endowed  with 
perpetual  motion,  and  was  ready  to  wag  forever. 
But  Bennie  Grigg  put  on  a  stopper,  and  abruptly 
interrupted. 

"All  right,  all  right,  my  hearty,"  said  he;  "I'll 
engage  that  they'll  do  all  that ;  but  thar  ain't  no 


3U  THE  TnKASOBE  OF  THE  9EA9. 

.     1 1.  in  boys,  tumble  in,  and 

V.t.r captain  Co'-b<.t  o^e    "er  an^     ^.^^^.,       ,. 
cac\.  one  "tumbled    into  1 1  ^.^^^^  ^,  ,,^ 

l,ot,  thus  ^"dclenly  B.lencedj^r«>"  ^^^^^  ^^^ 

.ei;ed  eaeb  one',  hand-    T^;»  ^,^,,  ^^  ^^,  ,oa. 
Wm  and  Solomon  to  ^P  h.m  ^^^^  ,  j._^       ,,. 

r  trttCe"  :u  -.  -^^^^  - 

i.  Good  by,  boys,    wa  f       golomon. 

*'«°<'*^rS'by.''cHe^alUbeboyB. 

" <^°°^  ''='    .    „nn "  fad  Captain  Corbet. 

,.  We'll  meet  soon,    saia  ^  V 

„  o       ,  _  in  a  few  weeks     cr.ea  ^^^^^ 

^„'a'so  with  f-'l^  Jit\;  passed  over  tbo 
slowly  from  the  beach  »d  sk     y^^^^^^  ^^^  ^^^ 

r:nil»-::.e.^:^uflly  lost  to  view. 


SCOTT'S  BAY. 


315 


iti,  and 
eike  the 

urriedly 
incl  t\\eu 
tail!  Cor- 
mt  as  be 
lied  upon 
the  boat, 
'he    ::^ib 
jaring  tbo 


bet. 

coon. 

Q  boys. 

bet. 

)m. 
boat  moved 

Bed  over  the 

knon  and  the 

view. 


XXVI. 

J  hard  Pull.  —  Wind  and  Tide.  —  Bcnnie'a  ''Idee." 
—  Jolly  under  creditable  Circumstances.  —  The 
Trijde  Promontory.  —  The  Advance  of  the  Fog.  — 
TJie  Line  of  Cliff.  — The  foaming  Sea.  — TJte  slow 
Passage  of  the  Hours.  —  The  Strait  of  Minas.  — 
Land  at  Last.  —  Bennie  triumphant. 

'HE  tide  was  coming  up;  eomo  time  had 
elapsed  since  the  Antelope  had  sunk,  and 
it  had  snfficcd  for  the  ebb  of  the  tide  and 
its  return  to  its  flood.  The  wind  also  was  light, 
and  as  tliey  sought  to  get  out  of  Scott's  Bay,  they 
had  the  tide  against  them,  and  very  little  wind  to 
favor  them.  At  first  they  moved  rather  along  the 
line  of  the  shore  than  away  from  it,  and  though 
they  lost  sight  of  the  figures  on  the  beach,  they 
did  not  therefore  make  any  very  great  progress. 

Scott's  Bay  is  enclosed  in  a  circle  of  land  formed 
by  the  Nova  Scotia  coast,  which  here  rises  high 
above  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  throws  out  a  long, 
circling  arm,  terminating  in  a  rugged,  storm-beaten, 
and  sea-worn  crag,  known  as  Cape  Split.  It  was 
necessary  to  double  this  cape,  and  then  go  up  the 
Strait  of  Minas  to  Parrsboro',  which  place  was  at 
the  head  of  the  strait,  inside  Minas  Basin,  and  rig 


,„S)  ™EAB«r.E  OF  THE  SEA9. 


^^^  '""T    Mn      In  order  to  do  this, 

opposite   Cape  ^'""^"^""^'m  to  favor  the  nav.- 

C--  H*  ••  Setie,  after  a  long  « 
..I  l,acUni<lee,    «a"^5'      _|  ^„„,a  come  np  * 
■a  had  an  idee  that  the  wu  ^^^^  j„.    „ 

,elt,e  Btrougeront  ber     but  ,t    ^^^_^     ^^^        , 
'  ow  I've  a  notion  that  .t  8  go.  .^  p^^sboro 

Te  delayed,  but  stiU  yon'l  be     n^^^^      ^„,y   , 

tin.e  --8\i:::fge^ntharthan  yo«  count- 
„ay  have  to  be  longer  g 

edon."  ,         „     Only  get  »s  there  in  time 

..  0  we  don't  care.    ""'^  ^    complain." 
fo,  ?he  Bleamer,  and  we  -»  *  JJ/^md  for  the 

rutTary::^>"r^::/::;itnvenieneeto 

^"J'You  needn't  think  about  ""y  ^^^  ^^^^.^^ 

„,     We're  only  »»»  S'^'f "'   e  of  us  would  care 

"yoursllf  out  so  -->'.;'^,":r;ror  not.    We've 
-'■^^TrUyit^litl^iast  two  or  three 

learned  to  lougn 

weeks."  .      ,   ,  .;,  ga,,e  to  the  autronnd- 

Bennie  now  diverted  h  s  k^^  j^  f„,  ^  long 

i„g  sea,  and  kept  h.s  -f'^^ ^^'^  J,,,,A  together  m 
time  in  silence,  wh.le  the  boj^  ,,,„,,  who  leel 


CAPE  SPLIT. 


317 


do  this, 
i\\e  navi- 
occasion, 

ig  silence, 
ome  up  a 
em  to;  an 

If  so  we'll 
Parrsboro' 

Only   you 
you  count- 

ere  in  time 

un." 

nind  for  the 
^ge,  an  then 
en  all  night. 

itivenience  to 
Q  for  putting 
IS  would  care 
r  not.     We've 
.  two  or  tl'.ree 

the  suiround- 
,„  it  for  a  long 
ted  together  m 
3  those  who  teel 
•ticular  aversion 
liacomtbrt.     Yet 
at  ease.    There 


was  a  sliglit  frown  on  his  noble  brow,  and  he  did 
not  show  that  genial  disposition  which  generally 
distinguished  him. 

The  wind  was  light  and  fitful.  At  first  it  had 
been  favorable,  but  before  long  it  changed.  It  did 
not  grow  stronger,  indeed ;  yet  still,  though  it  con- 
tinued light,  the  fact  that  it  was  acting  against 
them  made  their  prospects  worse,  and  justified 
Bennie's  fears  that  they  might  be  out  ail  night. 
Tlie  distance  was  not  great,  being  not  more  than 
fifteen  miles  or  so ;  but  their  course  was  in  such  a 
direction  that  the  opposition  of  wind  and  tide 
might  delay  them  to  a  very  uncomfortable  extent. 
The  spur  of  the  coast  line,  which  terminated  in 
Cape  Split,  as  has  been  said,  and  formed  the  bay, 
ran  for  about  five  miles,  and  this  distance  it  was 
necessary  to  traverse  before  they  could  go  up  the 
Strait  of  Minas. 

"  I  think,  boys,"  said  Bennie,  at  last,  "  we'd  best 
try  the  oars,  for  a  while  at  least.  We  may  save  a 
tide.  I  don't  know,  but  at  any  rate  we'd  best  try 
an  see  ;  for,  you  see,  we've  got  the  wind  agin  us 
now,  —  what  thar  is  of  it,  —  an  thar's  no  knowiii 
how  much  wuss  it  may  grow.  If  we  could  ony 
git  around  that  pint  afore  the  tide  turned,  we 
might  save  ourselves  from  spendin  the  night  aboard. 
I  did  hope  that  the  wind  might  favor  us ;  but  it's 
changed  since  we  started,  an  now  I  see  we'd  best 
prepar  for  the  wust." 

"All  right!"  cried  Bruce,  cheerily ;  "we're  iu 
for  anything.     We  can  pull  as  long  as  you  like." 


THE  TREAsbRE  OP  THE  8EA9. 


upon  this  ^^^^y^'^^^^'^^Z^^eV^^^'^^- 
the  boat  and  ^^^^Vlu  »d  .tk  the  stroke  oar, 
Bennie  lowered  the  mU,  an  ^^^^  ^.j^^ 

Bruce  and  Arthur  took  the  next  oa^s,^^^  ^^^^^  ^^ 

bow  oar.    They  rowed  in  this       y  ^^^ 

Uour,  and  then  *f  ^.''Ij^^.f  ^"^ ^rs,  and  Pat  the 
;roarrcrr.lvr.HU;r.  and  thu. 

nrittt  oars  far  ^o^.;;;^^^ 
served  to  beguile  the  time  ^^^^  ^^^. 

rowing  sang  songs  to  enl  ven  the  la  ^^^ 

«"•    rtsrh^he  wl:  not  allowed  to  row 

own  way.  .      ;_p-p,}.oed  somewhat,  and, 

A,  they  went,  the  -"»*  •""  ^^^    ,,,  combined 

as  the  tide  was  strong,  the  two  po        ^^  ^.^  ^^, 

to  oppose  their  progress    J^ey  '  ,,,,  ,,.„„ 

„akethe  headway  whu^h  was  de^^       .^^,    ,  ,  ,,^ 

one  hour  of  steady  P«  ""S  "'^^  ^        j^pW.    Svl , 

-''"^T'ot   beci    aLouraged,  but   rowed 

they    did   not   become  „,ent.oned, 

bravely  on,  making  the  cnang  ^^^  ^^^^^ 
and  anticipating  a  turn  for  the 

they  had  doubled  the  cape  ^^^^  ^,^^„ 

it  length  they  reached  *e  cap  ^              ^^ 

two  hours  of  hard  --'"^Jing   his  l''--  ^^^ 
bring  them  there,  and  on  reacinng 


A  HARD  PULL. 


319 


were  in 
lur  oar8. 
3ke  oar, 
Bart  the 
,bout  an 
dng  the 
1  Pat  the 
and  thus 

rpleasant, 
.X  ore  not 

f  the  row- 
time,  but 

3d  to  row 

as  enough 
it  was  no 

rork    their 

ewhat,  and, 
combined 
jre  did  r.ot 
e,  ail''  '^^^'^^ 
tfin^    '"»^- 
Spht.     SliV, 
but   rowed 
,  mentioned, 
r  when  once 

More  than 
I  >•,..;  lircd  to 


saw  Bennie's  face  still  covered  with  gloom  and 
anxiety.  What  that  might  mean,  they  did  not  at 
first  know ;  but  they  soon  found  out.  At  first,  how- 
ever, they  were  too  much  taken  up  with  their  own 
thoughts,  and  the  natural  pride  which  they  felt  at 
having  attained  the  ann  of  so  long  and  anxious  an 
endeavor,  to  notice  particularly  any  expression 
which  Bennie's  face  might  assume.  Besides,  there 
was  something  in  the  scene  before  them  which  was 
sufficiently  grand  to  engross  all  their  thoughts. 

Among  the  freaks  of  nature,  so  called,  few  are 
more  extraordinary,  and  at  the  same  time  more  im- 
pressive and  sublime,  than  that  which  is  afforded 
by  this  Cape  Split.  The  whole  northern  shore  of 
Nova  Scotia,  which  borders  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
consists  of  a  high  ridge,  known  as  the  North  Moun- 
tain. With  one  or  two  great  chasms,  like  that  at 
the  entrance  into  Annapolis  Basin,  it  runs  along 
until  it  arrives  at  the  Basin  of  Minas,  where  it  ter- 
minates at  the  sublime  promontory  of  Blomidon. 
Yet  it  hardly  terminates  here.  Rather  it  may  he 
said  to  turn  about  and  seek  once  more  to  invade 
the  water,  which,  for  so  many  miles,  it  has  defied ; 
and  thus  turning,  it  advances  for  some  miles  into 
the  Bay  of  Fundy,  forming  thus,  by  this  encircling 
arm,  Scott's  Bay,  and  finally  terminating  in  Cape 
Split.  Here,  where  the  tides  are  highest,  and  the  rush 
of  the  waters  strongest.  Cape  Split  arises,  —  wild, 
rough,  worn  by  the  sea,  and  scarred  by  the  storm, — 
a  triple  series  of  gigantic  peaks  that  advfince  into 
the  profoundest  depths  of  the  Bay  ot  Fundy,  whose 


Ill 


320 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  SEAS. 


waters,  at  every  ebb  and  flow  of  their  tremendous 
tides,  roll,  and  foam,  and  boil,  and  seethe  about  the 
base  of  the  torn  promontory.  The  cliffs  of  Blomi- 
don  rise  precipitously,  and  Blomidon  itself  is  the 
centre  of  attraction  in  the  scenery  of  a  vast  circuit 
of  country;  but  Blomidon  itself,  to  a  near  observer, 
shows  less  wildness  of  outline  and  less  of  pictur- 
esque grandeur,  than  that  which  is  revealed  in  the 
terrific  outline  of  Cape  Split.  Taken  in  connection 
with  all  the  surrounding  landscape  as  its  centre 
and  heart,  Blomidon  is  undoubtedly  superior;  but 
taken  by  itself  alone,  without  any  adjuncts  save 
sea  and  sky,  it  is  Cape  Split  that  the  artist  would 
choose  to  portray  upon  the  canvas,  or  the  lover  of 
the  picturesque  and  the  sublime  to  feast  his 
eyes  upon. 

This,  then,  was  the  point  which  they  had  reached, 
and  they  saw  .before  them  a  series  of  giant  rocks 
towering  aloft  from  the  depths  of  the  sea  hundreds 
of  feet  into  the  air,  —  black,  rough,  without  a  trace 
of  vegetation,  thrusting  their  sharp  pinnacles  into 
the  sky,  while  thousands  of  sea-gulls  screamed 
about  their  summits,  and  myriads  of  sea-waves 
beat  about  their  bases.  There  the  tide  rolled,  and 
the  ocean  currents  streamed  to  and  fro,  and  the  bil- 
lows of  the  sea  kept  up  perpetual  war,  assailing 
the  flinty  rock,  and  slowly  wearing  away,  as  they 
had  been  doing  through  the  ages,  atom  by  atom  and 
fragment  by  fragment,  the  forms  of  these  mighty 
bulwarks  of  the  land. 

This  was  the  ncone  upon  which  they  gazed  as 


bennie's  anxiety. 


321 


[lendoua 
30ut  the 
f  Blomi- 
If  is  the 
it  circuit 
)bserver, 
)f  pictur- 
ed in  the 
annection 
its  centre 
irior;  but 
incts  save 
tist  would 
o  lover  of 
feast  his 

id  reached, 
riant  rocks 
a  hundreds 
out  a  trace 
nacles  into 
screamed 
aearwaves 

rolled,  and 
and  the  bil- 
ir,  assailing 
vay,  as  they 
by  atom  and 

lese  mighty 

ICY  gazed  as 


they  reached  Capo  Split  and  prepared  to  enter  into 
the  Strait  of  Minus.  But  Jennie's  brow  was  dark, 
and  Bennie's  brow  was  gloomy,  and  tliere  were 
thoughts  in  Bennie's  mind  which  had  no  connec- 
tion with  any  grandeur  of  scenery  or  beauty  of 
landscape.  For  Bennie  was  thinking  of  the  practi- 
cal, and  not  of  the  picturesque  ;  and  so  it  was 
that  the  question  of  reaching  Parrsboro'  was  of 
far  more  importance  to  him  than  the  glories  and 
the  grandeur  and  all  the  sublime  attractions  of 
Cape  Split. 

"  Tell  you  what  it  is,  boys,"  said  ho,  after  a  long 
and  thoughtful  silence,  "we've  missed  il,  an  we've 
got  to  look  sharp,  or  else  we'll  miss  it  ugeu." 

"Missed  it?     Missed  what?" 

"What?     Why,  everything." 

"  Everything.     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Wal,  it's  this  con-founded  tide." 

"What  about  it?" 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  Bennie,  scratfhing  his 
grizzled  head,  "  I  thought  we  might  git  round  the 
cape  in  time  to  catch  the  flood  tide,  and  if  so,  it 
would  carry  us  straight  up  to  Parrsboro';  but,  un- 
forfnatel}',  we've  jest  missed  it.  We've  took  so 
much  time  in  gittin  here  that  we've  lost  the  flood. 
The  tide's  now  on  the  ebb,  an  it's  clear  agin  us. 
What's  v»^uss,  it  runs  down  trcmenjus,  an  it'll  be  a 
leetle  hard  for  us  to  git  up  anyhow;  an,  what'a 
wusser,  thar's  goin  to  be  a  fog." 


"  A  fog  !  " 


21 


THE  TBEA8UBE  OF  THE  SEA8. 


1      I 


•  .  t„     See  thav,"  —  an" 
..  Yes,  a  fog,  an  no  ii  __  „  ^^^  ,,,j^,.,    TK 

Bennie  pointed  ^own  the  ^.  y,  .^^^  _^  ^ 

kind's  ben  a  sin  t.nn.hna.y^^^.^^  ._^  ^  „, 

wester,  an  char's  tl°Jo  ^^^,^^  ^^^  ^^  ^,^  ,  , 

„s,  an  before  another  h'^"  '^»         ^„d  of  the  boat. 
,,' won't  be  able  to  B-   he  oh         ^^  ^^  , 

What's  wuss  stUl,  th    to     J  ^^  ^,,  ,„y 

settled  fog,  «"  -"^y  '     ;„  our  favor  jest  now    s, 

the  steamer  at  alW  ^^^^,^  ;^,,out  that. 

..The  steamer  t    U,  >^;'.    j.^e'll  be  all  night 
But  what  I'm  afeard  on  is,  that 

about  it."  ,^ .     ,^„,_od.    We  can  stand  it. 

..  0,  well,  that  can't  bo  he^pe  ^^^^  ^^  ,^^0, 

We've  had  worse  things  than  tm 
Tnd  this  is  more  chd^l  s  ph^^  ^^^,  ,,,t  al- 

..  Child's  play  !    W.vl,     do  ^  ^^^,^  ^^,,„ 

together,"  said  Benn.e      J^J Jf^,  j,,,,  pUy,  as  you 

:SS"y;/t-S;o„,httous.    we're 
,.0,  you  needn't  give  "">  J-  ^^^a  and  we've 

old  sUgers.    Y^'-^ "  W  'C  .^-^^^  "^  "rvt 
lived  on  desert  islands,     vv  ^,_^^^  ^ave 


SEVERE  EXPERIENCES  OF  THE  BOYS. 


323 


-and 
TW 

rounti 
but  iu, 
e  boi^t* 

,  regU^^ 
tlie  ouy 
now  i»» 
tely,  tUe 
r  enough 

time  tor 

jout  tbiit. 
all  night 

^n  stand  it. 
Bd  of  iate, 

,ont  that  al- 
don'tBOcm 

play,a8yo« 
,at  you  look 

on..    We've 
,d  and  we've 
>d  our  lives  a 
^vs  that  have 
Sable  Island, 


can't  be  frightened  at  anything  that  you  can  men- 
tion." 

"  After  my  life  on  He  ILiute  out  there,"  said  Tom, 
looking  at  the  dim  form  of  He  Haute,  vvhicli  was 
even  then  being  enveloped  in  the  gathering  fog, 
"  1  think  this  is  mere  child's  play." 

"  And  after  my  adventures  in  the  woods,"  said 
Phil,  "  I'm  ready  for  anything." 

"Pat  and  I,"  said  Bart,  "have  known  all  the 
bitterness  of  death,  and  have  felt  what  it  is  to  bo 
buried  alive." 

"  An  meself,"  said  Pat,  "  by  the  same  token, 
have  known  what  it  is  to  bathe  in  the  leper  wather, 
so  I  iiave  ;  an  what's  fog  to  that  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Arthur,  "  Pve  had  my  turn  off  An- 
ticosti  in  the  boat,  Tom  and  I." 

"  And  I,"  said  Bruce,  "  have  had  my  turn  at  the 
Five  Islands ;  so  you  see  you've  got  to  do  with  a 
lot  of  fellows  that  don't  care  a  rush  for  fogs  and 
tides,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing." 

"  Wal,  young  fellers,"  said  Bennie,  "  I  knock 
under,  I  cave  in.  I  won't  say  anything  more. 
You're  all  the  right  sort,  an  are  ready  for  any- 
thing. So  come  along;  an  here  goes  ibr  Parrs- 
boro'.  You've  got  to  be  up  all  night;  but  arter 
all,  you've  got  wraps  and  rugs,  an  bread  an  butter, 
an  pie,  an  can  keep  yourselves  warm,  an  can  have 
enough  to  eat,  —  *  so  what's  the  odds,  as  long  as 
you're  happy  ? '  I  ain't  a  croaker,  I  ain't,  but  go  in 
for  bein  cheerful,  an  if  you  ain't  goin  to  knock  un- 
der, why  I  ain't,  an  so  let's  be  jolly  an  move  on." 


1,HE  TREASUKE  OF  THE  SEAS. 


il! 


324 

•    v.„i,tfid  Ws  8»n  once  more. 
Saying  tWs,  R«™'?  ^^  ^    ,  ,,,d  the  only  question 
Tl,e  vvina  was  hf< '    '      '  ,k1   wonW   be    Btvong 
„ow   wa«,  -h'^t"7   f"".   "" i„,t  the  tide.     A^  to 
enough  to  carry  "^  ^;'^  ,,  .^:  ffieiently  strong,  but 
the  tide,  that  was  "^''^^vorabte.     The  tulo  had 
unfortunately  .t  "^   "^1  t>'e  strait  of  Mums, 

turned,  and  was  >"«"'«*".    The  tide  wa«  «b"« 

-"'"^  r  n^roppo  h!  shore  would  be  v^e  • 
view.    Soon  t  e  ofp  ,  on.     \vm> 

Worse  than  all,  the  ]^f^  „ouW  be  «n- 

n,g  and  darkness  united,  the.r 
certain  indeed.  ^.^g  a  straight 

Fortunately  fo'^^Xugh  not 'very  strong,  a.«l^ 

°- r:::serb;  tiru  was  yet  i^ir-  -i'- 

though  opposea  uy 

„„ch  was  in  the.r  Uvo  .  j^^^,  ^j,,  ,,,„a 

And  so  they  ^P^f  J'^^^j  „ent  on.  The  t.de 
filled  the  sails,  and  tto  bo  ^^^^^  ^^^^^^. 

was  against  them,  1^«^  ^^'  ,  Hour  after  hour 
Some  progress,  at  last,  was  in  ^^^^^^^ ^  ^o 

pred!  a.^  «tiU  they  went    -  ^^B    ^^^^  ^^  ^  ^.,^ 

be  quite  encouraged.     At     . 

beach.  . ,  „„„_:e   « we're  here  at  last. 

.Hurrah!"   said  B'\°""'^^,,,   ^t   ParrsboroM 
This   is   the    place,  laas.    Wc 
Hurrah  1 " 


bennie's  return  home. 


325 


e  more, 
question 
strong 
.     As  to 
oiig,  but 
tide  had 
of  Miivas, 
was  thua 

I  fog,  was 

ealed  from 

be  veiled. 

on.     With 

,uld  be  un- 

a  straight 


strong, 
lair. 


and 
This 


nd  the  wind 
n.    The  tide 
it  advanced. 
)ur  after  hour 
lie  seemed  to 
ime  to  a  wide 

here  at  last, 
^t   ParrsboroM 


X  X  X  V  1 1 . 

The  Village  by  the  Sen.  —  The  Village  Inn. — A 
hospitable  Landlord.  —  Making  lnqiciries.  —  As- 
tounding  Intelligence.  —  Dismay  Jollowed  by  De- 
spair. —  A  Search  without  Result.  —  A  mournful 
Walk.  —  A  Sail  I  A  Sail !  —  Boat,  Ahoy !  —  An 
old  Friend  !  —  Great  Jubilation.  —  Conclusion. 

*y^T  had  been  a  most  eventful  day  for  all  the 
J*  boys,  and  when  they  stepped  ashore  it  was 
nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Tiiey  bokcd 
around  with  some  curiosity,  for  they  saw  no  signs 
of  houses  just  here,  though  the  fog  had  diminished 
greatly,  and  it  was  not  so  dark  but  that  they  could 
see  the  outline  of  the  shore. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Bennie,  "  here  you  are.  You 
see  that  island  in  front,  —  well,  Parrsboro'  is  just 
behind  that,  and  not  more'n  half  a  mile  off  by  land. 
Jt's  too  far  to  go  round  it  in  the  l>oat ;  so  we'll 
leave  her  here,  and  I'll  show  you  the  way  along 
tiie  shore." 

With  these  words,  Bennie  drew  up  the  boat  a 
little  distance,  and  secured  it  by  putting  the  an- 
chor out  upon  the  beach.  After  this  he  started  off, 
and  the  boys  followed.  Bennie  walked  along  the 
beach,  occasionally  explaining  the  different  objects 


:!   I 


! 


Iliiii 


I    li 


THE  TREASURE   OF   THE   SEAS. 


326 

an.,  other  pluce,,  ^"    -  '■  ^J^'^'Je-l  by  the  boy. 

only  to  be  mentioned  to  "^  J"-^  J      ^      „„„ber  of 

it  length  they  came  n^^^ 'to'  „g,,„ 

houses  on  the  sule  ot  a  '""  "'"J"   ?,,;      ,,,d  a  most 
shone  in  the  windows,  and  ever)  thmg 

inviting  appearance  ,.  ^,,  ,,„,„  vil 

.,  Here  yon  a>r,  boy  .,    ^^  <  -^  ^^^   .  ^^^„g,, 

VU  bid  you  good  by.  ,^;,^  f„,  they 

The  boys  made  no  ''«°['°^^  i,„  tedious,  and 
knew  well  that  the  «'-"  ;"",„„  ,,is  home  any 
l.ad  no  desire  to  '^"-'P  ™;;;^  g^  they  all  sh.^ok 
longer  than  they  con  o  1  e^  ^^,  p,„,, 

hands  with  h,m,thankmg.m  ^^^^^^^^  ^„ 

Wng,  in  o'^:"'-"^;,*:;;  :turn  to  school.    Bennte    . 
pay  him  a  v.s.t  «»  '^"^  [  '     .  ^^  ,,ig  boat,  in  which 
Lw  left  them  and  retun   d  t  ^^^     ^^^ 

he  embarked  -^^f.^^^  ^^^  cached  in  a  short 
Vinvs  went  on.     1 "®  ^  '"**=,     . 
t^--^*^>-:r;ari:r  of  tr-inn,  they  were  ac. 
J:edt:r—.  and  the  following  converse 

""^ct'yotgWe  us  accommodation  forthe nightr- 

:A'nrg:t  us  some  tea  as  Click  as  you  can,  for 

we're  starving  ?  " 


ASTOUNniNn   INTELT.IOENUE. 


327 


[sland, 
3eding 
3  boys, 
ber  of 

Ligbts 

a  raoat 

icro  I'll 
enougb. 
Q  got  to 
as  to  git 
An  so 

for  tbey 
ioiia,  and 
u>mo  any 
all  sbook 
x\v\  prom- 
3quest.  to 
Bennie 

in  wbicb 
5ay.    Tbe 

in  a  sbort 

.y  were  ac- 
g  conversa- 

ihenigbt?" 
you  can,  for 


"  You  can  have  it  in  half  an  hour." 

*'  That's  right.  We've  just  come  over  from 
Scott's  Bay,  and  have  had  no  end  of  a  tug.  Wo 
want  to  take  the  steamer  here  to  St.  John." 

"  O,  ye'U  be  wantin  to  wait  for  the  steamer." 

"  Yes ;  it'8  the  only  tiling  for  us  to  do  ;  and  I'm 
precious  glad  we've  got  sucli  good  quarters." 

"  O,  ay.  Parrsboro's  a  good  place  to  stop  at. 
There  be  people  that  stops  here  weeks  an  months, 
an  says  as  how  it's  one  of  the  best  places  goin.  I 
can  put  yes  on  the  way  to  the  best  streams  for 
salmon  an  trout  in  the  country ;  an  ye  can  have  a 
nice  Iwat  if  ye  want  to  go  over  to  Blomidon;  it's  a 
mighty  fine  place  over  there,  and  folks  finds  cur'oua 
minerals ;  an  if  ye  want  deep-sea  fishin,  why,  out 
there  a  mile  or  two  in  the  bay  ye  can  get  no  end 
of  cod." 

"  O,  for  that  matter,  we  haven't  any  idea  of  sport- 
ing. We're  in  too  much  of  a  hurry.  Just  get  us 
a  tea  and  bed,  and  I  suppose  we'll  have  time  to 
get  breakfast  'to-morrow  ?  " 

The  landlord  stared. 

^•Time?     Breakfast?" 

"  Yes;  before  the  steamer  comes,  you  know." 

"  Before  the  steamer  comes?  "  repeated  the  land- 
lord, dubiously. 

"  Yes;  I  suppose  she  won't  touch  here  too  early 
but  that  we'll  have  time  for  breakfast  ?  " 

«  Breakfast  ?    When  ?     To-morrow  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Why,  there's  no  steamer  comes  to-morrow." 


ti)  ii 


nil 


; 


328 


TUB  TREASliUE   OP  THE  SEAS. 


''  ^^^*'*  ^  "         -1  -n.   intelligence,  uU  the  l.oy*^ 

started  up  to  their  itei  themselvos, 

attUudc.  into  which    he^^^^^^^^^ 
and  surrounding  the  Unuio 

er  to-morrow  ?  "         ^^ 

*.  No ;  O,  dcfvr,  no.  ^^^^^  ^  »» 

" Tills  morning  f  ,      ,  ,„„  n'd    k" 

.yes;  she  was  here  about  ten  ocl 

.Thismonung!    Ten  o'clock! 

"  .lost  so."  .,u„;^p(i  into  silence'.    A" 

0,.ce  more  the  boys  ««»''^'^^  J,.,    „i,taken  the 

„..  plain  now.     «->'•«    ^^^  .^^n  unlikely  thing 
day  of  the  steamer.     It  was  ^_^  „„to{.tho. 

,o;  him  to  do,  l.vmg  as  he  dm  ^^^^^^^,^ 

lay  place,  and  havng  no  fj'^^\^^^  „,,„,  and 
„olemonts.     But  the  ™';t;^;"^^  ,,,,„er  would 
„,ere  was  the  stohd  lactj  ^^t  n        ^^  ^^^^ 
touch  at  I'arrsboro-  ^r  a  wWle  ^^^^.^  ^^^^ 

The  landlord  now  went  off  to  \     V  ^^^^  ^;,. 

and  the  boys,  left  to  --'^.d  utterly  dispirited 
nation  i"  * '"«' "-f'-tSe  "=>  appearance  -  a 
way.  At  length  '--^J^.^^aed  table  gave  a 
bounteous  repast.     » i>e  ,       ^^j  a„„n 

new  turn  to  their  t^unrgh ts  .^^^^  ^>  ^,^^  ^^,„,, 
with  ravenous  appetites  to  p 


THE  DILEMMA. 


321) 


10  l)oy*^ 

lim  with 
\o  stcam- 


icre?  " 


won 


t  bo 


» 


I. 


Icnco.    AU 
istaken  the 

likely  thing 
out-of-tho- 
^e  steamer's 
n  made,  and 
amer  would 
o  come, 
lie  their  tea, 
ussed  tlie  sit- 
ivly  dispirited 
pearance  —  '<^ 
table  gave  a 
:hey  sat  down 
of  tUe  same, 


they  felt  that  they  had  Homething  still  left  to  livo 
for. 

Alter  tea  they  resumed  the  discussion  of  the 
situation.  It  seeme*!  to  them  now  not  by  any 
nieauR  so  forlorn  and  gloomy  as  it  had  done  before 
tea,  for  tlieii  tliey  were  weary,  worn  out,  and  half 
titarved  ;  but  now,  thanks  to  the  generous  repast, 
they  all  lelt  life,  and  strength,  and  hope,  and  looked 
out  upon  life  and  its  vicissitudeu  witli  the  utmost 
equanimity.  So  great  is  tlie  effect  which  is  pro- 
duced upon  the  mind  by  a  good  dinner  !  They  now 
invited  the  landlord  to  take  a  share  in  their  discus- 
Bion,  and  in  order  to  enable  him  to  do  so  to  the  best 
advantage, they  enliglicneil  him  as  to  the  immediate 
cause  of  their  presence  here,  informing  him  about 
the  voyage  of  the  Antelope,  her  m(;urnful  fate,  and 
Bennie  Grigg's  kindness  in  bringing  them  to  Parrs- 
boro'.  Bennie  liad  indeed  been  very  kind,  and  had 
put  himself  to  no  end  of  tnmble  for  their  sakes, 
and  wan  even  at  that  time,  perhaps,  thinking,  with  a 
gh)W  of  satisfaction,  of  them,  little  dreaming  how 
completely,  though  unintentionally,  he  had  de- 
ceived them. 

The  first  thing  the  landlord  advised,  after  hear- 
ing all  this,  wa**,  that  they  had  better  wait  till  the 
steamer  came.  lie  olfered,  if  they  did  so,  to  [)Ut 
them  in  the  way  of  all  the  sport  that  the  country 
could  aflbrd,  —  fishing  of  all" kinds,  shooting  too, 
and  excursions  to  places  of  interest.  But  the  land- 
lord's offer  was  not  very  gratefully  received.  It 
was,  in  fact,  rejected  at  once  most  peremptorily. 


Ill 


:i'i!l 


i!|     !! 


1% 


Hfitilliiii 


'I  ii 


330 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


Wait  a  week !  And  in  Parrsboro' !  Impossible ! 
It  was  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  moment. 

What  else  was  there  to  do? 

To  this  questiiin  the  hmdlord  showed  two  an- 
swers. One  thing  to  do  was  to  go  by  land  ;  another 
thing,  to  try  to  find  some  schooner,  and  go  by  water. 
As  to  the  land  route  he  had  much  to  say.  There 
was  a  mail  stage  that  ran  every  week  to  New 
Brunswick,  but  as  it  went  only  on  steamboat  days, 
and  as  it  would  not  go  for  another  week,  they 
found  no  help  here.  The  landlord,  however, 
pointed  out  to  them  the  fact  tliat  they  could  hire  a 
wagon  and  travel  in  that  way.  He  offered  to  fur- 
nish them  with  a  commodious  wagon,  and  a  very 
nice  pair  of  ponies  that  would  take  them  through 
to  Dorchester,  in  New^  Brunswick,  where  they 
could  catch  the  steamer  for  St.  John,  or  go  in  the 
mail  stage.  But,  unfortunately,  on  reckoning  up 
the  time  and  distance,  they  ibund  that  it  would 
take  about  four  days  to  perform  their  journey  in 
this  way. 

The  water  route  still  remained.  Could  they  not 
find  a  schooner  that  was  about  leaving?  The 
landlord  rather  thought  they  could.  One  way 
would  be  to  wait  till  some  schooner  passed  by  on 
its  way  down  the  bay,  and  board  her.  Ho  felt 
certain  that  any  coaster  would  land  them  at  St. 
John.  Another  way  would  be  to  go  to  Mill  Village, 
—  a  part  of  Parrsboro',  which  lay  about  a  mile  off,  be- 
hind a  hill,  —  and  look  up  a  vessel  among  the  numer- 
ous ones  which  at  that  time  happened  to  be  in 


A   JOURNEY   TO   MILL   VILLAGE. 


331 


ossible ! 


two  an- 

another 
3y  water. 
Tbero 

to  New 
)oat  days, 
3ek,  they 
however, 
uld  hire  a 
ed  to  fur- 
nd  a  very 
m  through 
here   they 
r  go  in  the 
ikoning  up 
it  it  would 
journey  in 

lid  they  not 
ving?    The 
One   way 
assed  by  on 
or.     He  felt 
them  at  i^t. 
Mill  Village, 
a  mile  off,  be- 
ig  the  nuraer- 
aed  to  be  in 


port.  Both  of  these  suggestions  seemed  good, 
and  the  boys  felt  sanguine  that  something  might 
result.  They  therefore  dismissed  tiie  idoa  of 
going  by  land,  and  resolved  to  wait  at  least  one 
day,  to  sec  whether  tiiey  might  not  find  some 
schooner  which  would  take  them  down  the  bay. 

It  was  very  late  when  this  discussion  was 
finished,  and  the  buys,  whom  excitement  had  thus 
far  sufficed  to  keep  awake,  now  yielded  to  the 
combined  influence  of  fatigue  and  sleepiness,  and 
retired  for  the  night.  That  night  passed  in  pro- 
found slumber,  and  the  dawn  of  day  still  found 
them  in  deep  sleep.  It  was  after  ten  o'clock  be- 
fore any  one  of  them  awoke ;  and  even  then,  so 
sleepy  were  they  that  they  did  not  feel  inclined  to 
get  up.  But  tiiey  had  work  before  them,  and  so 
they  managed  to  dress  themselves  and  put  in  an 
appearance  at  breakfast,  wliicii  had  been  waiting 
for  them  for  two  or  three  hours. 

Then  followed  a  journey  to  Mill  Village.  It  was 
a  beautiful  day ;  all  the  fog  was  gone ;  there  was 
not  a  cloud  in  the  sky ;  the  water  was  rippled  by 
a  gentle  breeze  from  the  north,  and  its  blue  surface 
seemed  more  inviting  tiiau  ever.  It  seemed  to 
promise  them  a  pleasant  return  to  their  homo  if 
they  would  only  trust  themselves  once  more  to  it. 

The  landlord  had  m,  wagon  all  ready  for  them, 
and  a  short  drive  brought  them  to  Mill  Village. 
It  was  rather  larger  and  busier  than  the  little 
settlement  where  the  inn  was,  and  they  i.oticed 
with  delight  three  schooners  in  port.     On  reach- 


r 


ii  !l 


';!!  ii 


!!i| 


illi'ill 


332 


THE   TREASURE  OP   THE  SEAS. 


ing  the  place  they  hurried  about,  making  inquiries. 
But  the  result  of  the  inquiries  was  not  very  cheer- 
ing. The  first  schooner  which  they  visited  was 
about  leaving  for  Windsor,  to  take  in  a  load  of 
plaster,  which  would  occupy  a  week,  after  which 
she  would  sail  for  JJoston.  Schotjner  the  second 
would  not  leave  for  a  lortnight,  tor  she  was  waiting 
for  a  cargo  of  deals.  Schooner  tlie  third  was  even 
worse,  feiic  was  not  seaworthy,  and  the  skipper 
was  hesitating  between  repairing  her  and  con- 
demning her.  On  making  inquiries  further  as  to 
the  probability  of  other  vessels  being  available 
along  tiie  coast,  the}^  could  learn  nothing.  And 
this  was  the  result  of  their  journey,  and  with  this 
they  had  to  satisfy  themselves  as  best  they  might. 
There  was  nothing  now  left  but  to  return  to  the  inn. 

It  was  one  o'clock  when  they  reached  the  inn. 
They  were  all  disheartened,  and  did  not  know  ex- 
actly what  to  do.  Dinner  over,  they  began  once 
more  to  discuss  the  situation ;  and  the  more  they 
discussed  it  the  more  they  found  it  necessary  to 
hire  the  landlord's  team  and  set  out  to  make  the 
long,  roundabout  land  journey.  But  it  was  now  too 
late  to  set  out  on  tiiis  day,  and  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  wait  till  the  morrow.  This,  then,  was  the 
conclusion  to  which  they  came  ;  and  having  reached 
it,  they  began  to  feel  more  settled  in  their  minds. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  when  this  question 
was  at  last  settled,  and  weary  with  their  long  dis- 
cussion, they  all  went  out  to  stroll  about  the  vil- 
lage and  along  the  beach.     The  village  was  not 


A   SCHOONER   IN   8IOHT. 


333 


quiries. 
y  cheer- 
ed was 
load  of 
r  which 

second 

waiting 

as  even 

skipper 
and  con- 
ther  as  to 

available 
ig.      And 

with  this 
»ey  might, 
to  the  inn. 
d  the  inn. 
i  know  ex- 
jegan  once 

more  they 
ecessary  to 
)  make  the 
,vas  now  too 
d  be  neces- 
lon,  was  the 
•ing  reached 
heir  minds, 
his  question 
eir  long  dis- 
ibout  the  vil- 
age  was  not 


much  to  spejik  of.  Some  half  dozen  houses,  with 
their  attendant  barmi,  comprised  it  all.  The  beach, 
however^  was  very  mucli  indeed.  To  tlie  riglit, 
Partridge  Ishmd  arose,  lofty,  rugged,  wooded,  pro- 
jecting into  the  Strait  of  Minas.  Opposite  was  a 
long  line  of  precipitous  cHIF,  which  terminated  in 
IJIomidon.  The  beach  began  at  Partridge  Island, 
and  ran  on  in  a  long,  curving  line  for  more  tlian 
two  miles,  covered  with  pebbles,  and  sloping 
gradually  to  the  water.  The  view  was  remarkably 
beautiful.  On  tlie  right,  tlie  rugged,  wooded  island  ; 
in  front,  the  long  line  of  cliff  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  strait ;  farther  in,  tiie  sublime  form  of  Blomi- 
don  ;  on  tlie  left,  the  beach,  winding  far  away  till  it 
terminated  in  a  promontory,  beyond  which  spread 
the  wide  waters  of  the  Basin  of  Minas,  terminated 
in  the  dim  distance  by  the  far-oft' line  of  coast. 

And  there,  as  they  strolled  along  the  beach,  they 
became  aware  of  an  >bject  on  that  wide  sheet  of 
water  which  fdled  tliciu  all  with  the  most  intense 
interest.     A  sail  1 

Yes;  there  was  a  sail  there,  and  it  was  moving 
towards  them — towardstho  Strait  oi  Minas.  Doubt- 
less it  w^as  some  vessel  on  its  way  down  the  hay. 
It  was  a  schooner  bound,  perhaps,  for  Kostun  —  or 
perhaps  for  St.  John.  What  mattered  it?  Enough 
that  it  was  going  down  the  bay. 

One  wild  shout  of  joy  burst  forth  frop'  .ill  that 
forlorn  party  as  they  recognized  the  tniili.  Hero 
came  deliverance;  here  came  a  way  of  escape  ; 
they  were   suvcd.     OOn-r  times   iliey   had   known 


334 


THE  TIIEASURE  OF  THE  8EA8. 


hi    Ji 


m 


m 


when  the  sight  of  an  approaching  vessel  would 
have  been  the  assurance  of  escape  from  something 
worse  than  this,  of  course ;  but  their  situation 
now,  thougli  not  perilous,  was  monotonous,  and 
wearisome,  and  doleful,  and  altogether  miserable  ; 
and  so  they  naturally  hailed  this  new  appearance 
with  shouts  of  joy. 

But  how  to  get  to  her  was  now  the  question. 
How  ?  Easily  enough.  Had  not  the  landlord  al- 
ready suggested  a  way  ?  Had  he  not  promised  to 
furnish  them  with  a  boat,  with  which  they  might 
board  any  passing  vessel  ?  Boats  there  were,  in 
plenty,  along  the  shore,  and  anyone  of  these  would 
suffice  for  their  purpose.  There  was  no  time  to 
lose.  The  schooner  was  coming  quickly  on,  borne 
by  wind  and  tide ;  they  must  make  haste. 
And  they  did  make  haste. 

Hurrying  back  to  the  inn,  they  acquainted  the 
landlord  with  the  new  state  of  affairs.  That 
worthy,  though  loath  to  lose  his  lodgers,  was  still 
honest  and  sympathetic  enough  to  use  all  energy 
towards  furthering  their  desires,  and  proposed  at 
once  to  take  to  the  boat.  As  for  the  boys,  they  all 
felt  perfectly  sure  that  this  schooner  would  take 
them ;  and  so  they  insisted  on  paying  their  bills 
and  taking  a  final  leave  of  the  inn. 

The  boat  was  launched  without  anv  trouble,  and 
soon  was  passing  over  the  waters,  impelled  by  oars 
in  the  hands  of  Bruce,  Arthur,  Bart,  and  Tom. 
The  schooner  cairio  on,  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
finally  came  within  hail. 


THE   MEETING   WITH   CAPTAIN   PRATT. 


335 


el  would 
Dinething 
situation 
lous,  and 
liserable  ; 
)pearance 

estion., 
indlord  al- 
"omised  to 
hey  might 
I  were,  in 
lese  would 
lo  time  to 
J  on,  borne 
;e. 

minted  the 
lira.  That 
rs,  was  still 

all  energy 
proposed  at 
oys,  they  all 

would  take 
r  their  bills 

trouble,  and 
elled  by  oars 
t,   and  Tom. 

nearer,  and 


"  Schooner,  ahoy  ! " 

"  Boat,  ahoy  !  " 

"  Where  arc  you  bound  ?" 

"  Schooner  Dart  —  St.  John." 

"  All  right.     We  want  to  go  aboard." 

In  a  few  moments  the  boat  was  alongside,  and 
the  boys  were  all  aboard.  They  waved  a  farewell 
to  the  landlord,  who  dropped  -  astern,  and  then 
turned  to  the  skipper  to  make  known  their  wants. 

The  first  look  which  they  gave  to  the  skipper, 
who  was  standing  there  before  them,  was  enough 
to  fill  them  with  surprise  and  delight.  In  that 
broad,  thick-set  frame,  and  that  honest,  jovial  face, 
they  recognized  an  old  friend  and  a  cherished  one 
—  One,  too,  who  was  associated  with  the  memories 
of  former  adventures ;  in  fact,  no  other  than 
Captain  Pratt.  At  so  strange  and  unexpected 
a  meeting  they  were  all  filled  with  amazement. 
One  cry  burst  from  them  all,  — 

"  Captain  Pratt ! " 

The  worthy  Pratt,  on  his  part,  was  no  leas  sur- 
prised, and,  it  must  be  added,  no  less  delighted. 

"  Why,  boys,  where  in  the  world  have  yon 
sprung  from  ?  Have  you  been  a  cruisin  about 
Minas  Basin  ever  since  ?  It  looks  like  it ;  but 
railly  now  —  it  can't  be  —  it  can't  railly." 

"  Well,  not  exactly,"  -  aid  Bart,  who  then  and 
there  began  to  give  a  brief  outline  of  the  adven- 
tures of  the  "  B.  O.  W.  C."  since  the  time  of  their 
visit  to  Pratt's  Cove,  where  they  had  last  parted 
with  their  worthy  friend. 


336 


THE  TREASURE   OF  THE   SEAS. 


Never  was  there  a  pleasanter  meeting.  It  was 
altogether  unexpected,  yet  not  unnatural,  for  Cap- 
tain Pratt  was  a  frequent  cruiser  over  these 
waters,  and  was  now^  as  he  informed  them,  on  his 
way  to  St.  John  with  a  cargo  of  deals.  The  jovial 
captain  made  them  tell  the  whole  story  of  all  tlieir 
adventures  since  they  had  last  parted  with  him, 
in  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in  the  country  about  the  Bay 
de  Chaleur,  in  the  Gnlf  of  St.  Lawrence,  at  Anti- 
costi,  Sable  Island,  and  Mahone  Bay,  and  thus  ac- 
quainted hiniBelf  with  every  particular  of  the  won- 
derful story  which  they  had  to  tell.  The  worthy 
captain  regarded  it  all  as  a  joke,  and  at  every 
fresh  incident  his  homeric  laughter  burst  forth  in 
long,  irrepressible  peals. 

But  such  a  story  occupied  some  time  in  the 
narration,  and  before  it  was  ended  the  schooner 
was  I'ar  out  of  the  Strait  of  Minas,  beyond  Ilo 
Haute,  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  On  one  side  lay  the 
Nova  Scotia  shore,  on  the  other  the  coast  of  New 
Brunswick.  Before  them  extended  the  waters  6f 
the  bay. 

Night  came,  and  they  all  slept.  On  the  follow- 
ing  day,  in  the  afternoon,  they  reached  St.  John. 

Their  adventures  for  a  time  were  over.  Bart 
took  all  his  friends  to  his  own  home,  where  they" 
spent  two  or  three  days. 

Then  they  separated,  Phil  going  to  Nova  Scotia, 
and  Bruce,  Arthur,  and  Tom  to  Prince  Edward 
Island.  Pat  remained  with  Bart  for  the  rest  of 
the  holidays. 


AMERICAN    BOYS'  5ER1E5 


t  was 
Cap- 

these 
on  his 

iovial 
\\  ttieir 
th  him, 
he  Bay 
it  Anti- 
hus  ac- 
le  won- 

worthy 
;  every 
fortli  in 

!  iu  the 
schooner 
)-ond  Ho 
c  lay  the 
t  of  New 
mters  6f 

le  follovv- 
t.  John, 
er.     Bart 
lere  they" 

»va  Scotia, 
e  Edward 
le  rest  of 


The  books  selected  for  this  scries  are 
all  thoroughly  Amoricaii,  by  such  favo- 
rite Amcricau  authors  of  boys'  books  as 
Oliver  Optic,  Elijah  Kellogg,  Prof. 
James  DeMille,  ami  others,  now  made 
for  the  first  time  at  a  largely  reduced 
price,  in  order  to  bring  them  within  the 
reach  of  all.  Each  volume  complete  in 
itself. 

Uniform  Cloth  Dindino  Illus- 
trated New  and  Attractive  Dies 
Price  per  volume  $!1.00 

1.  All  Aboard  or  Life  on  tlie  Lake 
By  Oliver  Optic 

2.  Adrift  in    thk   Ice    Fields    By 

Capt.  Chas.  W.  Hall 

3.  Ark  of  Elm  Island    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

4.  Boat  Club,  The  or  the  Bunkers  of  Ilippleton     ByOliver  Optic 

5.  Boy  Farmers  of  Elm  Island,  The    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

6.  lioYS  OF  Grand  Pre  School    By  Prof.  James  DeMille 

7.  "  B.  O.  W.  C",  The    By  Prof.  James  DeMille. 

8.  Charlie  Bell  the  Waif  of  Elm  Island     By  Rev.  Elijah 

Kellogg 

9.  Cast  Away  in  the  Cold    By  Dr.  Isaac  I.  Hayes 

10.  Crossing  the  Quicksands    By  Samuel  W.  Cozzens 

11.  Down  the  West  Branch  or  Camps  and  Tramps  around  Ka- 

tahdin    By  Capt.  Chas.  A.  J.  Farrar 

12.  Fire  in  the  Woods    By  Prof.  James  DeMille 

13.  Good  Old  Times    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

11.  Hardscrabblb  of  Elm  Island    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

15.  Just  His  Luck    By  Oliver  Optic 

16.  Lion  Ben  of  Elm  Island    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

17.  Little  by  Litte  or  the  Cruise  of  the  Flyaway    By  Oliver 

Optic 

18.  Lost  in  the  Foo    By  Prof.  James  DeMille 

19.  Now  or  Never  or  the  Adventures  of  Bobby  Bright    By  Oliver 

Optic 

20.  Poor  and  Proud  or  the  Fortunes  of  Kate  Redburn    By  Oliver 

Optic 

21.  Try  Again  or  the  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  Harry  West    By 

Oliver  Optic 

22.  Treasure  of  the  Sea    By  Prof.  James  DeMille 

23.  Up  the  North  Branch  a  Summer  Outing     By  Capt.  Chas. 

A.  J.  Farrar 

24.  Young  Shipbuilders  of  Elm  Island    By  Rev.  Elijah  Kellogg 

25.  Young  Trail  Hunters    By  Samuel  W.  Cozzens 

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5.  Her  Friend's  Lover    By  Sophie  May 

6.  Hollands,  The    By  Virginia  F.  Townsend 

7.  In  the  World    By  Mary  G.  Darling 

8.  Into  the  Light    By  C.  A.  O. 

9.  It  Came  to  Pass    By  Mary  Farley  Sanborn 

10.  Lottie  Fames    By  Adelaide  F.  Samuels 

11.  Mills  of  Tuxbury    By  Virginia  F.  Townsend 

12.  Pretty  Lucy  Merwyn    By  Mary  Lakeman 

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